The  Story  of  tlie  JlethcrlandWar 
to  its  Close..  1584  -jo^ d . 


By  ^fary  O..Nu''  i  n^ 
Auili  or  of  Wiliiar:  l!\eSiie!-:   


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALfFORNIA 
SAN  DIEGO       ^ 


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MAVRITIVS  D.  a.  WILHELMI    ARAV5IONVM    PRINCIPI.'!    FIL.       COMES 
'XaPavia,QtUUmAihoct^l^i<i>ula,'l>\eJhjM''>j^^<lST<:-'^^'^^  ""O  Vera,  FleJ?m^t,  ^c. 

DO  M  I  NVS  %Una,Leckf,GraVueX"y'^'^'^-'^'^'>'l^''il^'"3}'^-  ^'^^  ^  •*  ^  ATOR 
'l\(rfedn.uj^CcneraiuGelnaMolla/ulue,Zelapdiie,WeJI-Frif<t,TrM^^  Tranf- 

I  falmue.Cp-c-fummus  earumdem  'Prpytiuuirum  iwimw  terra  marij^  inihua  IMPERATOR- 


Prince  Maurice. 
From  Les  Lauriers  dc  Nassau,  Leyden,  1612. 


The  Days  of  Prince  Maurice 


THE  STORY   OF  THE   NETHERLAND  WAR   FROM 

THE   DEATH  OF  WILLIAM  THE   SILENT 

TO  ITS  CLOSE 

1584— 1648 


By  MARY  O.  NUTTING 

(MABY  BABltETT) 


Author  of  "WilUam  the  Silent  and  the  Netherland  War* 


BOSTON  AND  CHICAGO 

Congregational  .Suntiao^ScfiaoI  anli  PublisJjing  Soctetg 


Copyright,  1894, 
By  Congregational  Sunday-School  and  Publishing  Society 


PREFACE 


The  period  during  which  Maurice  of  Nassau  was  the 
leader  of  the  Netherland  people  is  one  which  claims 
attention,  not  only  on  account  of  its  exciting  and  memor- 
able events,  but  even  more  because  of  its  intimate  connec- 
tion with  the  subsequent  history  of  England  and  of 
America.  The  writer  has  aimed  to  tell  the  story  so  that 
it  shall  be  neither  too  long  to  be  easily  read,  nor  so  con- 
densed as  to  seem  dry. 

Among  the  works  most  consulted  have  been  those  of 
Motley,  Davies,  and  Grattan,  together  with  Rogers'  "  Story 
of  Holland"  and  Markham's  "The  Fighting  Veres." 
Some  original  authorities  also  have  been  used,  particularly 
Meteren's  "  History  of  the  Low  Countries,"  and  '•  Les 
Lauriers  de  Nassau,"  by  Orlers  and  Haestens,  a  very  rare 
book  published  at  Leyden  in  1612,  which  narrates  the 
victories  won  while  Prince  Maurice  was  commander-in- 
chief.  It  is  illustrated  with  many  careful  representations 
of  battles  and  sieges,  and  gives  an  excellent  portrait  of  the 
prince,  which  is  reproduced  here. 

M.  O.  N. 

Mount  Holyoke  College, 
South  Hadley,  Mass. 


CONTENTS. 


I. 
HOW  MATTERS  STOOD  IN  1584. 
The  two  sectlous  of  the  .seventeen  provinces. — How  the  re- 
public was  governed. —  A  republic  unwillingly.  —  Area  of 
the  provinces.  —  Population 13 

II. 
ANTWERP  BESIEGED. 

Importance  of  Antwerp. — Philip's  commander-in-chief. — 
Location  of  the  city.  —  Parma's  first  steps.  —  How  Ant- 
werp was  governed.  —  Quarrels  and  follies. — Parma  pre- 
pares to  bridge  the  Scheldt 19 

III. 
PARMA'S  BRIDGE  AND  THE  FIRE  SHIPS. 

Pile-driving.  —  The  floating  bridge.  —  The  river  closed.  —  Fall 
of  Brussels.  —  Gianibelli  and  his  "hell  burners."  — The 
great  explosion.  —  "  Koppen-Loppen  "  forgets  the  rocket. 

—  The  bridge  repaired 31 

IV. 
THE  FIGHT  ON  THE  KOWENSTYN  DIKE. 

Gianibelli's  new  fire  ship.  —  Strength  of  the  Kowenstyn  dike. 

—  The  assault.— The  dike  broken.  —  Desperate  fighting. 

—  Strange  apparition.  —  Premature  rejoicing  at  Antwerp. 

—  Defeat  and  despair.  —  The  capitulation.  —  Parma's  tri- 
umphal entry.  —  Citadel  rebuilt. — Consequences  to  the 
city 42 


CONTENTS. 


MATTERS  BETWEEN  THE  NETHERLANDERS  AND 
THEIR  NEIGHBORS. 

Protection  of  France  desired.  —  Reasons  for  seeking  that  of 
England. — Sovereignty  of  the  Netherlands  declined  by 
Henry  III.  —  Secret  reasons.  —  Sovereignty  offered  to 
Elizabeth.  — The  queen's  speech  to  the  Dutch  envoys.— 
Aid  furnished 58 

VI. 
THE  EARL  OF  LEICESTER  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS. 

The  queen  sends  Leicester  to  the  Low  Countries.  —  His  recep- 
tion. —  He  accepts  the  position  of  governor-general.  — 
Delays  to  inform  the  queen.  —  Her  displeasure.  —  Davison 
intercedes  for  the  earl 70 

VII. 
MILITARY  MOVEMENTS  OF  PARMA  AND   LEICESTER. 

Unpaid  soldiers. —Parma  besieges  Grave.  —  Hard  fighting. — 
Treachery  of  the  commander.  —  Neusz  stormed.  —  First 
exploit  of  the  young  prince.  —  Zutphen  invested  by 
Leicester.  —  Desperate  struggle    near    Warnsfield  church    79 

VIII. 
SIR  PHILIP  SIDNEY. 

Sidney's  ancestry. — Letter  of  his  father.  —  His  youth  and 
travels.  —  Dissuades  the  queen  from  marrying  Anjou. — 
Literary  works. —  At  Flushing.  —  Wounded  at  Zutphen. 
—  The  cup  of  water.  —  Days  of  sufl'ering. — The  chap- 
lain's account  of  his  death.  —  General  mourning.  —  Spen- 
ser's poem 91 

IX. 

TREASONS  AND  TROUBLES. 

Leicester  goes  to  England.  —  Is  graciously  received  by  the 
queen.  —  Treachery  of  Stanley  and  York.  —  Elizabeth's  ill 
temper.  —  Barneveld's    letter    to    her.  —  Prince    Maurice 


CONTENTS.  7 

made  the  provisional  head  of  the  government.  —  Firmness 
of  the  States-General. — The  queen  sends  over  Lord 
Buckhurst 100 

X. 

LOSS  OF  SLUYS,  AND  DRAKE'S  BUCCANEERING. 

A  seaport  needful.  —  Sluys  besieged  by  Parma. —Situation  of 
the  city.  —  The  women  build  a  redoubt.  —  Maurice  ap- 
pointed captain-general.— Return  of  Leicester.  —  Sur- 
render of  Sluys.  —  Drake's  exploit  at  Cadiz.  —  Insincere 
diplomacy 114 

XI. 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  ARMADA. 

The  great  fleet.  —  Plans  of  Philip.  —  Disasters  off  Cape  Finis- 
terre. — England  aroused.  —  Macaulay's  poem.  — First 
skirmishing.  —  Engagement  of  August  3.  —  In  Calais 
Roads. —The  fire  ships  and  the  panic. —The  battle  and 
the  pursuit.  —  Destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  —  Eng- 
land's deliverance.  —  The  Spanish  story        ....  124 

XII. 
HOW  BREDA  WAS  TAKEN. 

Treachery  at  Gertruydenberg. —  Unsuccessful  naval  expedi- 
tion.—  The  situation  in  France.  — The  League. — Philip's 
private  motives.  — Scheme  for  surprising  Breda.  —  The 
turf  boat  towed  within  the  town.  —  The  midnight  assault. 
— Breda  won 140 

XIII. 
PARMA  IN  FRANCE,  AND  MAURICE  AT  HOME. 

Paris  besieged  by  Henry  of  Navarre.  —  Parma  relieves  it. — 
Great  military  improvements  made  by  Maurice  and  Lewis 
William.  —  Zutplien  and  Deventer  taken.  —  Verdugo's 
opinion  of  Maurice .        .  150 


8  CONTENTS. 

XIV. 
THE  CLOSE  OF  PARMA'S  CAREER. 

Philip's  ill  treatment  of  Parma.  —  Insincerity  of  the  king. — 
Parma  sent  to  relieve  Rouen.  —  Prepares  for  a  third  French 
campaign. — His  death. — ^  Archduke  Ernest  in  the  Nether- 
lands.—  Assassinations  plotted.  —  Henry  IV  declares  war 
against  Spain.  —  Death  of  Archduke  Ernest        .        .        .161 

XV. 
THE  FIRST  YEAR  OF  ARCHDUKE  ALBERT. 

Albert's  character.  —  Calais  besieged.  —  Elizabeth's  proposi- 
tion.—  Calais  taken  by  the  Spaniards. —The  Dutch  and 
English  fleets  take  Cadiz.  —  Treaty  between  Henry  IV  and 
Elizabeth. — The  Netherland  Republic  joins  the  alliance. 
—  Insincerity  of  the  two  nionarchs.  —  Second  armada  sent 
out  by  Philip.  —  Its  fate.  — Arctic  voyages  of  the  Dutch    .  172 

XVI. 

A  VICTORY  AND   A   MARTYRDOM. 

Battle  of   Turnhout.  — Moral  effect  of  Maurice's  victory. — 

Philip's  repudiation  of  his  debts. — The  German  emperor 

offers  to  nietliate. — The  Polish  ambassador's  orations. — 

Elizabeth's  ready  reply.  —  Anna  van  den  Hove  buried  alive  186 

XVII. 
NEGOTIATING  WITH   ELIZABETH. 
Henry's  dealings  with  Spain.  —  Elizabeth's  attitude.  —  Dutch 
envoys  at  Henry's  court.  —  Stormy  interviews  with  Eliza- 
beth.—  Treaty  of  Vervins 195 

XVIII. 
LAST  DAYS   OF   PHILIP  IL 

Philip  deeds  the  Netherlands  to  his  daughter. — He  leaves 
Madrid.  —  Painful  journey.  — The  Escorial.  —The  king's 
sufferings.  —  His  three  days'  confession. — His  directions 
for  his  funeral.  —  His  last  hours.  —  Mystery  of  such  a 
death.  —  An  accomplished  pupil  of  Machiavelli.  —  A  de- 
ceiver finally  himself  deceived 202 


CONTENTS.  9 

XIX. 

CAMrAIGNING  IN  FLANDERS. 

Maurice  on  the  defensive.  —  Voluntary  taxation.  —  The  **  arch- 
dukes" iu  Brussels.  —  Their  proposition  to  Elizabeth. — 
The  States-General  plan  an  invasion  of  Flanders. — Mau- 
rice and  Lewis  William  disapprove.  —  The  fleet  delayed. — 
March  toward  Nieuport.  —  Albert  raises  an  army        .        .212 

XX. 

THE  BRIDGE  AT  LEFFINGEN. 

Sudden  council  of  war. —  Count  Ernest  sent  to  Leflingen. — 
Fight  with  the  archdulies'  army.  — The  panic  and  flight.  — 
The  archdulies'  council  of  war.  —  Anxiety  and  prayer  at 
Ostend 224 

XXI. 
THE  BATTLE  OF  NIEUPORT. 

News  of  Count  Ernest's  defeat.  —  The  fleet  ordered  to  sea. — 
Arrangements  for  the  battle.  —  What  the  prince  said  to 
his  men.  —  The  first  onset.  —  Lewis  Gunther's  cavalry 
charge. — The  infantry  tight.  —  Lewis  Gunther's  repulse. 

—  Maurice  rallies  the  troops. — Victory. —  Narrow  escape 
of  the  archduke.  —  Thanksgivings. — The  admiral  ban- 
tered.—The  news  in  England.  — Coldness  between  Mau- 
rice and  Barneveld 231 

XXII. 
BEGINNING  OF  THE  SIEGE  OF  OSTEND. 
Situation  and  importance  of  Ostend. —  The  garrison.  —  The 
archduke  begins  the  siege.  —  Efibrts  to  blockade  the  town. 

—  Artillery. — Maurice  takes  Rhelnberg.  —  Progress  of 
matters  at  Ostend 248 

XXIII. 

THE  CHRISTMAS  PARLEY. 

Vere  asks  a  conference.  —  Hostages  and  commissioners  sent.  — 
Vere  maneuvers  to  gain  time.  —  Second  arrival  of  the 
Spanish  commissioners.  —  Their  evening  with  Sir  Francis 


10  CONTENTS. 

Vere.  — The  archdukes  eontidently  awaiting  the  surrender. 
— Vere  reinforced.  —  Dismisses  the  commissioners.  —  His 
letter  to  the  States-General.  —  Philip  Fleming  and  his 
diary.  —  Preparing  for  the  expected  assault.  —  The  storm- 
ing party  fails 257 

XXIV. 

THE  INDIA  TKADE,    AND  THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE 
WAR. 

The  English  and  Dutch  East  India  Companies.  —  Dutch  acqui- 
sitions in  the  East.  —  Maurice  invades  Flanders,  and  after- 
ward captures  Grave. — Mutineers  of  Albert's  army. — 
Death  of  Elizabeth,  and  accession  of  James.  —  His  cool 
reception  of  the  Netherland  envoys 270 

XXV. 

SIEGE  OF  OSTEND,   Continued. 
The  external  forts  lost.  —  Ambrose  Spinola  takes   command 
of  the  Spanish  army.  —  Successive  governors  of  Ostend. — 
New  fortifications  built  within  the  old. —"Little  Troy" 
planned 277 

XXVI. 
SLUYS  TAKEN  AND  OSTEND  LOST. 
Maurice  approaches  Sluys.  —  The  Swint  held  by  the  enemy. — 
A  circuit  made.  —  More  troops  sent  into  the  town. —Un- 
successful attempt  to  send  supplies.  —  Famine  severe. — 
Spinola  attempts  to  relieve  the  town.  —  He  is  repulsed. — 
Surrender.  —  A  better  seaport  than  Ostend.  —  Ostend 
capitulates. —Results  of  the  siege 285 

XXVII. 

SPINOLA'S  INVASION  OF  THE  PROVINCES. 

Treaty  between  James  and  the  archdukes. —  Spinola  made 
commander  of  the  archdukes'  army.  —  Reforms  intro- 
duced.—  Invades  the  United  Provinces.  —  Maurice  alert. 
—  Battle  of  Miilheim,  and  panic  of  Maurice's  cavalry. — 


CONTENTS.  11 

Progress  in  the  East  Indies. — Spinola's  second  invasion. 
—  Takes  Groenlo  and  Rtieinberg.  —  Complaining.  —  A 
naval  battle. — Vice- Admiral  Klaaszoon        .        .        .        .296 

XXVIII. 
HOW  THE  TWELVE  YEARS'  TRUCE  WAS  MADE. 
The  peace  party  and  their  opposers.  —  First  move  made  by 
the  archdukes.  —  Difficulty  of  opening  negotiations. — 
Armistice  of  eight  months  proposed.  —  Attempt  to  bribe 
Aerssens.  —  The  king's  ratification.  —  Victory  of  Heems- 
kirk's  fleet  at  Gibraltar.  —  Arrival  of  the  ambassadors  at 
The  Hague.  —  The  Provinces  refuse  to  give  up  the  India 
trade,  or  to  permit  public  Roman  Catholic  worship. — 
Negotiations  broken  off. — The  English  and  French  ambas- 
sadors offer  to  mediate.  —  Conferences  resumed  at  Ant- 
werp.—  The  three  indispensable  points  are  yielded  by 
Spain.  —  The  truce  proclaimed 306 

XXIX. 
WHAT  HAPPENED  DURING  THE  TRUCE. 

English  Puritans  settle  at  Leyden.  —  Draining  of  the  Beemster 
Lake.  —  Jeannin  proposes  amendments  to  the  Dutch  con- 
stitution.—  The  Bank  of  Amsterdam. — Beginning  of  the 
Arminian  controversy.  —  Remonstrants  and  Contra-remon- 
strants.  —  The  five  points  of  Arminianism.  — Politics  and 
theology  mixed. —  The  Synod  of  Dort.  —  Treatment  of 
the  Remonstrants.  —  Canons  of  Dort. —  Sentence  of  the 
Arminian  clergy.  —  The  Heidelberg  catechism.  —  Estimates 
of  the  synod 323 

XXX. 
BARNEVELD'S  TRIAL  AND  EXECUTION. 
Alienation  of  the  prince.  —  Barneveld  arrested  by  his  order. — 
Intercession  of  Louis  XTII  in  behalf  of  Barneveld. — 
Unfairness  of  the  trial.  —  The  prisoner's  last  evening. — 
Sentence  pronounced.  —  The  execution.  —  Excitement 
against  the  Remonstrants.  —  Banishment  of  their  min- 
isters .        .        .        , 336 


12  CONTENTS. 

XXXI. 
AFTER  THE  TRUCE. 

The  English  Puritans  in  Leyden.  —  Reasons  for  emigration  to 
America.  —  Consequences  of  iheir  going.  —  Louvestein. — 
Grotius  and  his  wife.  —  She  phxiis  his  escape.  —  Tlie  maid's 
care  of  the  chest.  —  Grotius  welcomed  at  the  French  court. 
—  State  of  the  Provinces  at  the  close  of  the  truce.  —  Spinola 
besieges  Bergen-op-Zoom.  —  Conspiracy  of  Barneveld's 
sons.  —  New  alliances  with  France  and  England.  —  Spinola 
lays  siege  to  Breda.  —  Maurice  unable  to  relieve  it.  —  His 
failing  health  and  death.  —  His  character      ....  346 

XXXII. 
THE  CONCLUSION. 
Frederic  Henry  becomes  commander-in-chief.  —  Treaty  of 
Westphalia.  —  Growth  of  the  Provinces  during  the  war.  — 
Manufactures.  —  Agriculture  and  horticulture.  —  Learning 
and  art. — The  example  of  the  Netherlands  a  l)enefit  to  the 
world.  —  Its  great  influence  on  the  history  of  England  and 
America 358 


THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


HOW    MATTERS    STOOD. 


ON  the  tenth  of  July,  1584,  the  great  and  good 
Prince  of  Orange,  William  the  Silent,  was 
shot  in  his  own  house  at  Delft.  The  assassin,  Bal- 
thasar  Gerard,  had  been  hired  by  Philip  II.  The 
Netherland  people  were  in  the  thickest  of  their  long 
conflict  with  Spain,  and  the  loss  of  their  great  leader 
was  overwhelming.  There  was  no  one  who  could  fill 
his  place.  A  medal  commemorating  those  dark  days 
bears  the  emblem  of  a  storm-tossed  bark,  and  the 
inscription,  Incerta  quo  fata  fereatA  But  a  divine 
hand  was  upon  the  helm  ;  the  vessel  was  not  destined 
to  go  down.  The  young  son  of  the  martyred  prince, 
in  his  studious  seclusion,  was  being  prepared  to  be- 
come their  commander,  and  at  length  to  accomplish 
the  nation's  deliverance. 

The  struggle  of  the  Netherland  provinces  to  throw 
off   the   intolerable   yoke   of    the   Inquisition   and   of 

J "  Not  knowing  whither  the  fates  may  lead." 
13 


14  THE  DAYS   OF  PEINCE   MAUEICE. 

Spain  had  now  been  going  on  for  sixteen  years ; 
and  although  it  was  much  to  be  no  longer  living 
under  the  cruel  "edicts,"  to  have  seen  the  last  of 
Alva  and  the  "Council  of  Blood,"  to  have  won  — 
whether  in  defeat  or  victory  —  records  so  glorious  as 
those  of  Harlem  and  of  Leyden,  not  many  then  alive 
would  see  the  end  of  the  war.  It  was  to  outlast  two 
generations  more. 

Seldom,  if  ever,  has  the  world  witnessed  a  contest 
so  remarkable.  The  succession  of  events  which  led 
to  it,  the  immense  odds  against  which  the  Nether- 
landers  fought,  their  splendid  daring  and  wonderful 
persistency,  as  well  as  the  far-reaching  consequences 
of  their  victory,  all  combine  to  render  it  memorable 
forever.  "  It  was  a  war,"  says  an  eminent  professor 
of  history, 1  "  in  which  the  highest  principles  were 
vindicated,  and  vindicated  irreversibly.  In  those 
principles  lies  the  very  life  of  modern  liberty.  The 
debt  which  rational  and  just  government  owes  to  the 
seven  provinces  is  incalculable.  Holland  is  the  Holy 
Land  of  modern  Europe." 

For  the  first  ten  years  all  the  provinces  were  united 
in  carrying  on  the  war ;  but  later  the  ten  forming  the 
southern  portion  of  the  low  countries  and  nearly  iden- 
tical with  the  modern  Belgium  were  beguiled  again  into 
allegiance   to   Spain.     Thenceforth   they    were   called 

iThoroUl  Uogcrs,  in  the  preface  of  The  Story  of  Holland. 


HOW  MATTERS  STOOD.  15 

the  Spanish  Netherlands,  or  the  "obedient"  prov- 
inces ;  and  were  governed  by  a  viceroy  of  the  Span- 
ish king.  No  Protestants  were  allowed  to  reside 
there,  though  some  remained  in  cities  not  yet  subdued. 
After  the  ten  southern  provinces  had  deserted  the 
patriotic  cause,  the  remaining  seven,  led  by  William 
and  his  brother.  Count  John  of  Nassau,  had  formed, 
in  January,  1579,  what  was  called  the  Union  of 
Utrecht.  This  confederation  served  a  good  purpose 
for  a  long  time,  though  it  was  not  all  that  could  have 
been  desired.  The  seven  provinces  bound  themselves 
to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  in  carrying  on  the  war, 
but  each  retained  control  of  its  internal  matters  as 
before.  Public  affairs  were  administered  by  the 
Estates-General,  a  body  composed  of  deputies  from 
each  province.  It  was  often  called  simply  "The 
States."  We  must  bear  in  mind,  however,  that  this 
term  referred  to  the  members  constituting  the  assem- 
bly, not  to  the  provinces  sending  them.  Each  prov- 
ince also  had  its  own  "  states  "  to  manage  its  internal 
affairs ;  and  each  chose  its  own  stadtholder,  or  gov- 
ernor. It  often  happened,  however,  that  the  same 
person  was  stadtholder  of  more  than  one  province. 
William  was  stadtholder  of  both  Holland  and  Zea- 
land, which  were  the  leading  members  of  the  confed- 
eration, as  the  two  provinces  together  furnished  about 
seven  tenths  of  the  entire  revenue. 


16  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

The  United  Provinces  had  no  thought  of  becoming 
a  republic  until  long  after  this.  It  had  not  occurred 
to  them  that  a  nation  could  be  its  own  ruler  ;  they 
expected  either  to  make  Philip  of  Spain  concede  the 
liberties  for  which  they  were  fighting,  in  which  case 
they  would  remain  his  subjects,  or,  which  was  more 
likely,  they  would  get  some  better  monarch  to  take 
them  under  his  protection.  They  had  begun  to  make 
efforts  in  that  direction,  inasmuch  as  their  beloved 
Prince  of  Orange  would  not  consent  to  become  their 
sovereign.  Indeed,  the  duke  of  Anjou,  a  brother  of 
the  king  of  France,  had  been  formally  installed  as 
ruler  of  the  five  smaller  provinces  in  1582.  His  posi- 
tion was  not  one  of  great  power,  but  somewhat  like 
that  of  the  president  of  a  republic,  except  that  it  was 
to  descend  to  his  children,  should  he  have  any.  But 
Anjou  proved  to  be  so  bad  a  man  that  it  was  a  deliv- 
erance, rather  than  a  loss,  to  the  provinces  when  he 
died  in  June,  1584, 

In  reading  of  such  a  war,  it  is  difficult  to  realize 
that  the  territory  of  the  young  nation  that  carried  it 
on  was  not  quite  as  large  as  the  state  of  Massachu- 
setts and  half  the  state  of  Vermont.  What  is  now 
called  Holland,  which  is  very  nearly  the  same  as  the 
seven  provinces,  contains  only  12,630  square  miles. 
The  area  of  the  ten  obedient  provinces  was  then 
nearly  the    same ;  but  the   modern   Belgium   has  lost 


HOW  MATTERS  STOOD.  17 

something  on  the  side  next  to  France,  so  that  it  con- 
tains about  a  thousand  square  miles  less.  Nor  should 
it  be  forgotten  that  what  land  the  little  republic  had 
was  very  liable  to  be  under  water.  Yet  this  incon- 
venient circumstance  had  its  advantages.  In  their 
never-ending  struggle  with  the  encroaching  sea  its 
people  got  no  small  part  of  the  discipline  which 
enabled  them  to  hold  out  in  a  war  of  eighty  years, 
and  to  conquer  at  last.  The  slenderness  of  their 
country's  natural  resources  made  them  not  only  a 
hard-working  and  thrifty  people,  in  an  extraordinary 
degree,  but  it  sent  them  abroad  on  the  seas  to  explore, 
and  to  establish  an  extensive  commerce  with  distant 
lands.  Their  foreign  dominions  in  time  became  much 
larger  than  their  native  country. 

The  population  of  the  United  Provinces  was  far 
greater  in  proportion  to  their  territory  than  is  the 
present  population  of  the  section  of  New  England 
already  mentioned ;  indeed  it  was  absolutely  greater. 
In  1888  the  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts  were  esti- 
mated to  number  2,044,504 ;  half  the  population  of 
Vermont  was  166,500;  in  all,  2,211,004.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  in  1568,  the  population  of  all 
the  seventeen  provinces  was  about  three  millions  ;  but 
in  1609  that  of  the  seven  Unite  1  Provinces  is  stated 
by  Motley  to  have  been  3,500,000.  The  northern 
provinces  had  greatly  increased  iu  population  in  spite 


18  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

of  the  war ;  while  the  southern,  or  obedient  provinces, 
had  dwindled.  A  table  is  given  in  the  work,  "  Les 
Lauriers  de  Nassau,"  from  which  it  appears  that  in 
1610  there  were  in  the  seven  provinces  of  the  republic 
—  namely,  Holland,  Zealand,  Utrecht,  Gelderland, 
Overyssel,  Groningen,  and  Friesland  —  one  hundred 
and  five  cities  and  towns,  and  four  hundred  and  sixty- 
two  villages.  This  slight  resume  of  the  situation  will 
make  it  easy  to  go  on  with  the  story. 


CHAPTER    II. 


ANTWERP    BESIEGED. 


THE  siege  of  Antwerp  was  the  next  great  event 
of  the  war.  It  had  been  foreseen  by  William 
of  Orange  months  before  Pariua  had  begun  any  visible 
preparation  for  it;  and  early  in  June,  1584,  he  had 
taken  occasion  to  warn  several  of  the  leading  person- 
ages of  that  city,  who  were  at  Delft  to  attend  the 
christening  of  the  infant  Frederic  Henry.  He  had 
not  only  told  them  in  what  manner  Parma  would 
attempt  to  reduce  Antwerp,  but  also  how  bis  schemes 
might  be  completely  foiled.  It  was  not  long  before 
they  had  sorrowful  occasion  to  remember  his  words. 
There  were  weighty  reasons  why  the  Spaniards 
wanted  to  get  Antwerp  just  then.  Some  of  them 
were  perfectly  obvious.  It  was  a  city  of  immense 
wealth,  and  at  this  period  was  the  commercial 
metropolis  of  the  Low  Countries,  if  not  of  all  Europe. 
Five  thousand  merchants  daily  assembled  in  its  mag- 
nificent Exchange.  Meteren  asserts  that  "  as  many 
as  seven  or  eight  hundred  ships  and  boats  have  been 
seen  arriving  from  various  quarters  at  once."  He 
adds:   "We   have  seen    a    calculation    from  which  it 

19 


20  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

appears  that  the  city  of  Antwerp  the  year  before  the 
war,  and  even  during  the  siege,  had  1,726,000  florins 
of  annual  revenue."  Then  its  position,  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  region  which  was  now  the  scene  of  the 
war,  with  the  republic  of  the  United  Netherlands  on 
the  north  and  the  "  reconciled  "  provinces  on  the  south, 
gave  it  great  strategic  importance.  The  Spanish  sol- 
diers used  to  say  to  the  people :  "  If  we  get  Antwerp, 
you  shall  all  go  to  mass  with  us  ;  if  you  save  Antwerp, 
we  will  all  go  to  conventicle  with  you."  But  there 
was  another  reason,  not  less  weiglity  though  not  yet  so 
obvious :  Philip's  great  project  for  conquering  Eng- 
land, which  had  long  been  secretly  simmering,  would 
make  it  indispensable  for  him  to  have  the  best  port 
in  the  Netherlands  in  which  to  marshal  his  invincible 
fleet.  And  there  was  no  harbor  like  that  of  Antwerp. 
In  the  broad  and  deep  Scheldt  all  the  fleets  of  Europe 
might  safely  lie  at  anchor.  Once  mustered  there,  his 
Armada  could  sail  across  some  fine  morning  and 
conquer  England  with  no  trouble  at  all.  So  it  was 
determined  that  Antwerp  should  be  taken. 

It  was  just  before  the  siege  began  that  "William  the 
Silent  was  assassinated.  The  death  of  this  great 
leader  was  like  losing  the  pilot  in  the  midst  of  the 
storm.  The  Spaniards,  on  the  contrary,  never  had 
a  better  commander  than  now.  Alexander  Farnese, 
prince  of  Parma,  was  one  of  the  ablest  generals  of 


Alexander  Faknese,  Prince  of  Parma. 
From  Bor's  History  of  the  Netherlands,  1621. 


ANTWEBP  BESIEGED.  21 

this  hard-fighting  age.  He  was  the  nephew  of  Philip 
II  and  grandson  of  Charles  V  on  the  mother's  side  ; 
while  on  the  father's,  he  was  great-grandson  of  Pope 
Paul  III.  He  had  already  had  much  experience  in 
war,  and  had  won  distinguished  success,  although 
only  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  His  fine,  imposing 
figure,  his  bold,  handsome  countenance,  his  alert, 
decided  air,  all  combined  to  make  men  stand  in  awe 
of  him.  Though  quick  and  keen  in  his  perceptions, 
he  was  cool  and  sagacious  in  conduct.  His  energy 
was  untiring,  his  perseverance  endless. 

But  what  he  had  now  to  do  was  likely  to  prove 
no  easy  task,  even  for  so  consummate  a  general  as 
Alexander  of  Parma.  Like  his  predecessors,  he  had 
learned  that  it  was  a  serious  business  to  attack  a 
Netherland  city,  even  when,  as  at  Maestricht,  he  had 
as  many  troops  outside  the  walls  as  there  were  citi- 
zens within,  and  nobody  to  interfere.  Over  and 
above  all  the  ordinary  and  respectable  methods  of 
defense,  these  unscrupulous  Netherlanders  had  a  way 
of  welcoming  their  assailants  with  kettles  of  boiling 
oil,  molten  lead,  or  blazing  pitch.  Moreover,  his 
present  forces  were  not  adequate  to  storming  the  city. 
If  Antwerp  could  be  taken  at  all,  it  would  have  to 
be  done  by  a  blockade.  To  accomplish  this  it  would 
be  necessary  to  bridge  the  river  —  a  piece  of  work 
evidently  not  to  be  done  in  a  hurry. 


22     THE  DAYS   OF  FBINCE  MAUBICE. 

Antwerp  lies  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Scheldt, 
which  at  this  point  is  nearly  half  a  mile  wide  and 
sixty  feet  deep.  The  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  is 
usually  about  eleven  feet.  For  a  long  way  above 
the  city  the  general  direction  of  the  river  is  north- 
easterly, but  as  it  reaches  Antwerp  it  takes  a  tarn 
and  runs  northwesterly  thence  to  the  sea.  Twelve  or 
fifteen  English  miles  below  the  city  it  divides  into 
broad  estuaries  embracing  the  islands  of  South  Beve- 
land  and  Walcheren.  The  fertile  lowlands  on  either 
side  of  the  river  are  preserved  from  constant  inunda- 
tion only  by  a  vast  system  of  dikes  stretching  along 
its  sides  in  parallel  lines  and  occasionalW  meeting 
other  dikes  running  at  right  angles  with  them.  By 
breaking  down  certain  of  these  bulwarks,  and  thus 
inundating  the  whole  of  the  lowland,  the  citizens 
could  have  made  it  impossible  for  Parma  to  blockade 
Antwerp  by  bridging  the  Scheldt,  or  indeed  in  any 
other  manner.  It  was  this  step  which  William  had 
strongly  urged  upon  them  only  a  few  weeks  before 
his  death.  But  most  of  the  inhabitants  did  not  yet 
see  the  necessity  for  a  measure  so  extreme. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  summer  Parma  was 
busy  in  building  detached  forts  along  the  river,  and 
it  presently  became  apparent  what  they  were  for. 
Brussels,  Ghent,  and  Antwerp  form  the  angles  of 
a  nearly  equilateral  triangle,  measuring  about  thirty 


ANTWEBP  BESIEGED.  23 

miles  on  each  side.  Halfway  between  Ghent  and 
Antwerp,  upon  the  Scheldt,  is  Dendermonde  ;  while 
between  Brussels  and  Antwerp,  upon  branches  of  the 
Scheldt,  are  Vilvoorden  and  Mechlin.  By  means  of 
these  new  forts  these  neighboring  cities  were  to  be 
prevented  from  helping  either  Antwerp  or  each  other. 
Meanwhile,  since  bribery  could  never  come  amiss,  and 
might  save  much  hard  fighting,  Parma  was  doing  his 
best  to  win  everybody  whom  it  was  thought  safe 
to  approach  in  that  way.  "The  ducats  of  Spain, 
Madame,"  wrote  the  French  envoy  to  the  queen- 
dowager,  Catherine  de  Medicis,  "  are  trotting  about 
in  such  fashion  that  they  have  already  vanquished 
a  great  quantity  of  courages.  Your  majesties  too 
must  employ  money,  if  you  wish  to  advance  one 
step."  For  the  people  of  the  Netherlands,  in  order 
to  secure  aid,  were  at  this  time  disposed  to  offer  the 
sovereignty  of  their  country  either  to  England  or  to 
France ;  and  the  French  king  wished  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  refusing  it. 

The  Antwerpers  were  quite  easy  for  a  long  time, 
flattering  themselves  that  they  could  get  assistance 
from  Henry  of  Valois,  if  by  chance  they  should  need 
it,  which  seemed  not  at  all  likely.  "  The  preparations 
went  on  before  our  very  noses,"  said  one  of  them, 
"  and  every  one  was  ridiculing  the  Spanish  command- 
er's folly."     The  river  was  too  broad,  too   deep,  its 


24  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

ocean  tides  too  powerful  to  be  bridled  by  human  hands. 
It  was  absurd  to  dream  of  such  a  thing. 

The  city  authorities  had  indeed  been  so  much  influ- 
enced by  what  their  piince  had  urged  as  to  pass  an 
order  for  piercing  the  great  Blaw-garen  dike.  Had 
they  actually  done  it  then,  Antwerp  would  have 
become  for  the  time  virtually  a  seaport,  and  might 
have  laughed  at  all  that  Parma  could  do.  But  unfor- 
tunately the  municipal  government  was  one  which 
afforded  opportunity  for  a  vast  deal  of  disputing  and 
interference.  The  burgomaster,  in  whom  the  chief 
executive  authority  was  of  course  supposed  to  reside, 
had  really  but  little  power.  In  the  board  of  magis- 
trates he  had  merely  a  single  vote  ;  and  his  duties 
elsewhere  compelled  him  to  be  often  absent.  He  was 
the  nominal  head  of  the  board  of  militia  colonels, 
which  claimed  a  good  deal  of  power ;  but  he  could 
be  voted  down  even  there.  There  were  sixteen  cap- 
tains who  had  the  right  to  come  into  the  meetings  of 
the  colonels  if  they  liked,  and  urge  their  own  views  ; 
and  eighty  other  captains  to  back  them  if  necessary, 
not  to  mention  boards  of  ward  masters,  of  select- 
men, of  fortification,  of  shipbuilding.  All  these  were 
claiming  equal  authority  and  all  wrangling  among 
themselves ;  so  it  may  easily  be  imagined  how  matters 
went  on  at  the  weekly  sessions  of  the  general 
council.     As  Meteren  remarks  :   "  This  great  number 


ANTWERP  BESIEGED.  25 

of  commanders  was  the  reason  why  there  was  no 
authority." 

The  burgomaster  of  this  turbulent  and  imperiled 
city  was  Philip  de  Marnix,  lord  of  Sainte-Aldegonde. 
It  was  at  the  request  of  the  great  leader  whom  the 
nation  had  with  unspeakable  sorrow  just  buried  at  Delft 
that  he  had  accepted  the  difficult  and  unenviable  office. 
For  twenty  years  he  had  been  prominent  among  the 
patriots  of  the  Netherlands.  It  was  believed  to  have 
been  he  who  in  1565  drew  up  the  celebrated  document 
called  the  Compromise  —  the  league  of  the  Neth- 
erland  nobles  against  the  Inquisition.  Since  that  day 
he  had  fought  on  many  a  bloody  field,  and  suffered 
a  long  imprisonment  for  his  country's  sake.  His 
splendid  and  versatile  talents  made  him  eminent 
among  scholars,  poets,  and  orators,  as  well  as  among 
soldiers  and  diplomatists.  It  was  he  who  wrote  the 
national  hymn,  "  Wilhelmus  van  Nassouwe,"  which 
"  for  three  hundred  years  has  rung  like  a  clarion  wher- 
ever the  Netherland  tongue  is  spoken."  He  was  a 
devout  Christian  as  well  as  a  devoted  patriot,  and  it 
seemed  that  the  government  of  Antwerp  at  this  crisis 
had  been  committed  to  a  truly  good  man. 

But  the  task  of  saving  the  city  was  almost  too  much 
for  mortal  patience  and  wisdom.  No  sooner  was  it 
known  that  the  magistrates  had  voted  to  break  down 
the  Blaw-garen  dike  and  to  open  the  sluices  far  down 


26  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE   MAURICE. 

the  river  than  all  the  Antwerp  butchers  were  furious. 
To  flood  the  broad  meadows  defended  by  the  Blaw- 
garen  dike,  which  extended  along  the  right  bank  of 
the  river,  below  the  fort  of  Lillo,  would  be  the  un- 
doing of  their  business.  What  was  to  become  of  the 
twelve  thousand  oxen  whose  rich  pastures  would  thus 
be  abandoned  to  the  sea  ?  How  would  the  Antwerpers 
get  their  beef,  and  how  were  the  butchers  to  get  even 
their  bread  ? 

So  the  whole  guild  of  the  butchers  was  quickly  con- 
vened, and  they  sent  a  committee  of  sixteen  to  protest 
against  this  needless  and  ruinous  measure.  These 
were  followed  by  sixteen  militia  colonels,  who  went  so 
far  as  to  declare  that  if  the  magistrates  should  persist, 
the  militia  would  by  force  prevent  the  scheme  from 
being  carried  out.  After  much  time  had  been  wasted 
in  disputes  it  was  decided  to  let  the  Blaw-garen  dike 
alone  and  open  the  sluices  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  near  Saftingen.  Accordingly  the  Flemish  side 
was  soon  flooded  nearly  to  the  gates  of  Antwerp,  with 
the  very  serious  exception  of  certain  highlands  at 
Beveren,  Kalloo,  and  the  Doel.  But  before  winter  the 
butchers  and  the  militia  colonels  discovered  to  their 
sorrow  that  this  did  not  answer  the  same  purpose. 

Meanwhile  there  was  much  difficulty  about  laying  in 
the  supplies  requisite  for  a  siege.  The  States-Gen- 
eral, fully  aware  that  the  fate  of  the  nation  might  hang 


ANTWERP  BESIEGED.  27 

on  that  of  Antwerp,  had  voted  a  large  sum  for  this 
purpose,  Holland  and  Zealand  alone  having  furnished 
two  hundred  thousand  florins  ;  and  Antwerp  was  her- 
self to  do  a  good  deal  besides.  It  only  remained  to 
carry  out  the  order. 

The  matter  was  entrusted  to  Ti'eslong,  the  admiral 
of  Holland  and  Zealand,  a  gallant  sailor  and  a  hard 
fighter,  but  not  possessed  of  much  business  talent. 
Moreover,  his  croolved  and  obstinate  temper  hindered 
his  doing  his  best.  Just  then  he  was  sulky  because 
Sainte-Aldegonde  favored  a  French  alliance,  and  also 
on  account  of  a  private  quarrel  with  President  Meet- 
kirk.  So  instead  of  bestirring  himself  to  provision 
Antwerp  he  lingered  week  after  week  at  Ostend 
drinking  to  the  health  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  who  was 
much  more  to  his  taste  than  Henry  of  Valois.  And 
Parma,  hearing  that  Treslong  was  out  of  humor  with 
his  government,  improved  the  opportunity  to  offer  him 
tempting  bribes.  The  admiral  listened  and  lingered, 
though  he  did  not  yield.  Finding  that  the  States- 
General  were  growing  impatient,  —  especially  after  they 
had  brought  from  Holland  thirty  krom-stevens,  which 
he  said  were  the  only  kind  of  vessels  he  could  use  in 
victualling  Antwerp, — he  stormed  and  threatened  till 
they  sent  him  to  prison. 

Much  time  had  thus  been  wasted  and  the  work  was 
still  to  be  begun.     A  good  deal  of  grain  was  brought 


28  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

in  by  private  adventurers,  however,  as  the  prospect 
of  a  siege  made  the  citizens  willing  to  pay  three  or 
four  times  as  much  as  usual.  The  swift  little  boats, 
convoyed  by  armed  vessels,  made  nothing  of  running 
by  Parma's  batteries,  which  by  this  time  were  thickly 
sprinkled  along  both  banks.  Sometimes  they  were 
captured  to  be  sure,  when  the  Spaniards  would  coolly 
cut  off  the  arms  and  legs  of  all  the  crew  and  send 
them  in  the  boat  drifting  up  to  the  city  with  the  rise 
of  the  tide.  Yet  the  trade  went  briskly  on  until  the 
magistrates  of  Antwerp  took  it  into  their  sagacious 
heads  that  the  skippers  were  making  too  profitable 
a  business  out  of  these  exciting  voyages.  Accord- 
ingly they  decreed  that  no  one  should  take  more  than 
a  certain  fixed  price  for  grain,  and  that  all  consumers 
should  purchase  directly  from  the  ships.  Of  course 
this  put  an  end  to  the  grain  business  ;  it  was  no  longer 
worth  while  to  run  such  terrible  risks.  The  ninety 
thousand  persons  in  Antwerp  had  to  be  content  with 
what  provisions  they  had,  for  there  was  no  prospect 
of  getting  any  more. 

Nine  miles  below  Antwerp  there  were  two  fortresses 
belonging  to  the  States  :  Lillo  was  on  the  Brabant 
side  of  the  river,  and  Liefkenshoek  just  opposite,  in 
Flanders.  On  the  tenth  of  July  —  the  very  day  when 
the  Prince  of  Orange  was  assassinated  at  Delft  — 
the  latter  fortress,  not  yet  finished,  was  surprised  and 


ANTWEIiP  BESIEGED,  29 

taken.  Four  hundred  of  the  garrison  were  butchered, 
and  as  man}'  more  driven  into  the  river.  Fort  Lillo 
sustained  a  siege  of  three  weeks,  during  which  the 
Spanish  commander  Mondragon  lost  two  thousand 
men.  Its  defenses  proved  so  strong  that  at  length 
the  besiegers  gave  up. 

After  Parma  had  established  as  many  batteries  as 
he  liked  all  along  the  river,  he  set  about  building  his 
bridge.  He  had  not  a  large  force  at  his  command,  — 
only  ten  thousand  foot  and  about  seventeen  hundred 
horse,  —  but  he  did  his  best  with  it.  He  had  his  head- 
quarters at  Kalloo,  and  half  the  army  was  under  his 
perspnal  command  ;  the  other  half  was  with  the  vet- 
eran Count  Mansfeld,  near  Stabrock,  ten  miles  down 
the  river  on  the  other  side. 

At  Kalloo  quite  a  little  army  of  mechanics  and 
laborers  of  all  sorts  were  now  toiling  incessantly  at 
the  grand  enterprise,  while  a  multitude  of  bakers, 
brewei's,  and  butchers  mere  busy  in  supplying  the 
commissariat.  An  immense  amount  of  preliminary 
work  was  required  in  order  to  provide  for  the  trans- 
portation of  supplies,  as  well  as  the  construction  of 
the  needful  machinery.  One  item  was  the  digging  of 
a  ctinal  from  Kalloo  to  Steeken,  a  place  twelve  miles 
southwest,  through  which  floats  of  timber,  munitions 
of  war,  and  whatever  else  was  needed  might  be  easily 
brought. 


30  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

Before  the  end  of  September,  Ghent,  Dendermonde, 
and  Vilvoorden  all  capitulated  ;  and  the  resources  of 
the  two  former,  which  were  upon  the  Scheldt,  were 
thus  conveniently  at  the  disposal  of  Parma.  The  fall 
of  Vilvoorden,  within  ten  miles  of  Brussels,  cut  off  the 
chance  of  communication  by  water  between  Brussels 
and  Antwerp  ;  and  Mechlin  also  was  closely  invested. 
So  the  Antwerpers  found  themselves  shut  off  from  all 
the  neighboring  cities  which  might  have  helped  them. 
The  Zealand  vessels  could  not  approach  to  their  relief, 
for  though  they  had  effected  a  shallow  inundation  by 
opening  sluices  far  down  the  river  on  the  Brabant 
side,  the  great  Blaw-garen  and  Kowenstyn  dikes  ^exe 
still  high  and  dry.  The  flooding  of  the  lowlands  on 
the  Flemish  side  had  even  aided  their  foe,  who  had 
thus  been  enabled  to  bring  a  fleet  of  thirty  sail  from 
Ghent  by  a  short  cut  across  the  submerged  country 
from  Borght  to  Kalloo.  This  had  saved  the  risk  of 
running  by  the  guns  of  Antwerp. 


CHAPTER  III. 

parma's  bridge  and  the  fire  ships. 

WHILE  the  citizens  were  still  assuring  each 
other  that  the  Scheldt  could  never  be  closed, 
and  the  States-General  were  contriving  a  plan  for 
taking  Zutphen,  and  the  Netherlaud  people  generally 
were  expecting  an  army  from  France  to  come  to  their 
aid,  Parma  was  industriously  driving  piles  for  the  ends 
of  his  bridge. 

A  little  below  Kalloo  he  had  discovered  a  sand  bar 
stretching  across  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  this  favor- 
able point  was  accordingly  selected.  The  Scheldt  is 
here  twenty-four  hundred  feet  broad  and  sixty  feet 
deep.  The  first  step  was  to  build  a  strong  fort  on 
each  bank.  The  one  on  the  Flemish  side  was  named 
Saint  Mary,  while  the  other  bore  the  name  of  Philip, 
in  honor  of  the  king.  Next,  a  host  of  laborers  were  set 
to  driving  immense  piles  fifty  feet  deep  into  the  river 
bed.  Day  by  day  the  two  parties  toiling  on  either 
side  approached  a  little  nearer  each  other  until  they 
were  only  thirteen  hundred  feet  apart.  Upon  the 
piles  were  laid  huge  timbers  strongly  framed  together, 
which  when  planked  formed  a  massive  roadway  twelve 

31 


32  THE  DAYS   OF  FRINGE  MAURICE. 

feet  wide.  This  was  fortified  by  blockhouses  of  great 
thickness  all  along. 

It  was  now  winter,  and  the  severest  part  of  the  un- 
dertaking still  remained  to  be  done.  Great  blocks  of 
ice,  swept  in  by  the  tides,  came  thundering  with  tre- 
mendous violence  against  the  palisade,  but  it  did  not 
give  way.  The  channel  was  too  deep  for  driving  any 
more  piles,  and  Parma  built  a  floating  bridge  across 
the  remaining  space.  It  was  made  of  thirty-two 
barges,  each  sixty-two  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide. 
These  were  anchored  at  stem  and  stern  with  loose 
cables  —  each  boat  being  twenty-two  feet  from  the 
next  —  and  all  were  firmly  bound  together  with  quad- 
ruple hawsers  and  chains.  Upon  the  boats  rested  a 
framework  of  heavy  timbers,  with  a  plank  pathway 
above  and  strong  parapets  at  the  sides.  At  each  end 
of  each  boat  was  a  piece  of  heavy  artillery,  well 
manned.  This  made  a  kind  of  floating  battery,  with 
thirty-two  guns  pointing  up  the  river  and  the  same 
number  pointing  down.  The  bridge  was  still  further 
protected  from  assault  by  two  heavy  rafts  armed 
with  sharp  iron  prongs  and  hooks ;  one  of  these  was 
anchored  a  little  distance  above  and  the  other  below 
the  floating  portion  of  the  bridge. 

On  tlie  twenty-fifth  of  February,  1585,  the  whole 
structure  was  completed,  and  Parma  celebrated  the 
event  by  a   grand   military  pageant.     He   had   good 


PAB3IA'S  BRIDGE. 


33 


reason  to  exult,  for  an  immense  work  had  been  done  in 
the  face  of  great  obstacles.  Some  of  these  anybody 
could  see  ;  others,  far  more  serious,  were  never  known 
till  recent  historians  deciphered  his  secret  letters  to 


Saft, 


Lands  not  overflowed.  - 

VieiHiTY  9f  Antwerp 


the  king.  Just  then  Philip  II  was  so  much  absorbed 
with  wire-pulling  in  France  and  elsewhere  that  Nether- 
land  affairs  were  rather  neglected,  and  Alexander 
was  often  at  his  wits'  end  for  want  of  funds.  "The 
million  promised  me,"  he   wrote,  January   15,  1585, 


34  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

"has  arrived  in  bits  and  morsels,  and  with  so  many 
ceremonies  that  I  have  n't  ten  crowns  at  my  dis- 
posal. How  I  am  to  maintain  even  this  handful  of 
soldiers  —  for  the  army  is  diminished  to  such  a  mere 
handful  that  it  would  astonish  your  majesty — I  am 
unable  to  imagine.  It  would  move  you  to  witness 
their  condition.  They  have  suffered  as  much  as  is 
humanly  possible."  And  just  after  the  triumphant 
completion  of  the  bridge  he  wrote  again  of  the  mis- 
erable condition  of  his  army.  After  describing  the 
forlorn  state  of  those  who  garrisoned  the  captured 
cities  he  added:  "As  for  the  rest  of  the  troops, 
they  are  stationed  where  they  have  nothing  to  subsist 
upon  save  salt  water  and  the  dikes.  .  .  .  And  I  have 
no  money  at  all,  nor  do  I  see  where  to  get  a  single 
florin."  Fortunately  for  him,  however,  the  Nether- 
landers  did  not  know  it.  One  cannot  help  admiring 
the  indomitable  courage  and  persistency  of  the  prince 
of  Parma,  notwithstanding  he  was  on  the  wrong  side. 

And  now  at  length  the  citizens  of  Antwerp  awoke. 
A  massive  structure,  bristling  with  artillery,  spanned 
the  broad  and  turbulent  river.  The  impossible  had 
been  achieved  :  the  Scheldt  was  actually  closed. 

A  fortnight  after  the  triumphant  inauguration  of 
the  fatal  bridge  there  came  tidings  of  the  fall  of  Brus- 
sels. During  the  long  siege  of  tliat  city  many  persons 
had  literally  starved  to  death.     It  is  related  by  Strada 


PABMA'S  BBIDGE.  35 

that  there  were  mothers  who  poisoned  their  children 
and  themselves  to  escape  the  more  horrible  and  no 
less  certain  doom  of  starvation.  The  terms  of  the  sur- 
render required  the  burghers  either  to  leave  Brussels 
forever  within  two  years,  or  to  become  Catholics. 
The  liberties  of  the  city  were  surrendered  to  the  dis- 
posal of  the  king. 

In  the  fate  of  Brussels  Antwerp  foresaw  her  own 
possible  doom,  and  roused  herself  to  meet  the  crisis. 
The  bridge  must  be  destroyed,  or  the  city  must  fall. 
Sainte-Aldegonde  had  been  doing  his  utmost ;  but  the 
dissensions  of  the  various  parties  and  the  fatal  delu- 
sion of  looking  to  France  for  help  had  defeated  all 
his  attempts  thus  far. 

There  was  then  living  in  Antwerp  an  Italian  named 
Gianibelli,  who  was  wonderfully  expert  in  engineering 
of  all  kinds,  and  had  once  journeyed  from  Italy  to 
Spain  on  purpose  to  offer  his  services  to  Philip  II. 
Not  receiving  much  attention,  he  had  returned  in  high 
dudgeon,  vowing  that  the  Spaniards  should  yet  rue 
the  day  when  they  turned  their  backs  upon  him. 
Naturally,  he  was  more  than  willing  to  undertake  the 
destruction  of  Parma's  bridge. 

He  wanted  for  this  congenial  enterprise  three  small 
vessels  which  he  had  selected  from  the  city  fleet,  the 
three  together  having  a  capacity  of  about  a  thousand 
tons.     But   the   economical  magistrates  bade  him  be 


36  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  31  AU RICE. 

content  with  two,  one  of  seventy,  and  the  other  of 
eighty,  tons.  One  was  called  the  Fortune,  the  other, 
the  Hope.  Smothering  his  vexation,  Gianibelli  set  to 
work  to  convert  his  little  vessels  into  floating  vol- 
canoes, whose  explosion  should  annihilate  the  bridge. 
Seven  thousand  pounds  of  gunpowder  were  placed  in 
the  hold  of  each  vessel,  enclosed  in  walls  of  marble 
masonry  five  or  six  feet  thick.  Above  and  around 
each  mine  were  packed  immense  quantities  of  can- 
non balls,  chain-shot,  iron  hooks,  tombstones,  paving 
stones,  and  all  sorts  of  dangerous*  things.  The  Avhole 
was  smoothly  covered  over  with  a  light  flooring  of 
planks  and  brickwork,  upon  which  lay  a  pile  of  or- 
dinary combustibles,  as  if  the  vessels  were  simple  fire 
ships.  On  the  Fortune  the  mine  was  to  be  exploded 
by  a  slowmatch  ;  while  on  the  Hope  a  piece  of  clock- 
work was  so  arranged  as  to  strike  fire  from  a  flint  at 
the  appointed  time. 

Just  before  this  grand  attempt,  the  Zealand  vessels 
under  command  of  Justinus  of  Nassau,  assisted  by 
troops  from  Lillo  under  Count  Hohenlo,  made  a  sud- 
den attack  upon  their  lost  fort  at  Liefkenshoek  and 
carried  it  at  a  blow.  They  also  seized  the  fort  of 
Saint  Anthony  farther  down  the  river.  Then  they 
hastened  to  a  point  near  Fort  Saint  Mary,  hoping  to 
entrench  themselves  on  the  end  of  the  broken  dike, 
and  thus    be   able   to    cannonade    the    bridge.     But 


PAEMA'S  BlilDGE.  37 

Parma's  men  were  ou  the  spot  before  them,  aud  they 
were  obliged  to  give  it  up. 

This  toolv  place  upou  the  fourth  of  April.  The 
bridge  was  to  be  blowu  up  on  the  evening  of  the 
fifth.  The  two  "hell-burners"  were  to  be  preceded 
by  a  fleet  of  thirty-two  small  craft,  which  were  simple 
fire  ships,  covered  with  tar  and  turpentine,  and  filled 
with  combustibles.  These  were  to  be  sent  down  with 
the  ebb  tide,  eight  every  half-hour.  It  was  hoped 
that  they  would  set  fire  to  the  raft,  and  keep  the 
Spaniards  busy  till  the  grand  explosion  should  take 
place. 

Unluckily,  the  management  of  the  affair  had  been 
entrusted  to  Admiral  Jacob  Jacobzoon,  an  oflflcer  who 
was  commonly  called  "  Runaway  Jacob,"  or  "  Kop- 
pen-Loppen."  Like  the  blunderer  he  was,  he  began 
by  dispatching  the  whole  fleet  of  fire  ships,  helter- 
skelter,  as  fast  as  he  could ;  and  then  he  sent  down 
the  Fortune  and  the  Hope  close  behind. 

It  was  five  or  six  miles  from  the  city  to  the  bridge, 
and  although  the  evening  was  dark,  the  approaching 
vessels  were  discovered  silently  gliding  down  the  river, 
before  the  fires  were  lighted.  Instantly  the  drums 
beat  to  arms,  for  the  Spaniards  expected  there  would 
be  a  concerted  attack  on  the  bridge,  the  Zealanders 
below  aiding  the  Antwerpers  above.  The  bridge,  the 
palisades,    the   neighboring   forts   were   quickly  alive 


38  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

with  troops.  Parma  was  now  here,  now  there,  cross- 
ing and  recrossing  to  give  directions,  until  all  was 
ready.  Then  he  took  his  position  in  the  blockhouse 
where  the  floating  bridge  joined  the  palisades,  on  the 
side  toward  Kalloo. 

The  shadowy  forms  of  the  mysterious  fleet  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  and  the  Spaniards  strained  their 
eyes  with  gazing,  their  ears  with  striving  to  catch 
some  sound.  Suddenly  each  vessel  flamed  up  with  a 
fearful  glare.  The  broad  river,  the  troops  crowded 
upon  the  bridge,  and  even  the  very  clouds  were  lighted 
up  with  the  lurid  blaze.  The  Spaniards  stood  watch- 
ing in  silence  till  the  little  fire  ships  drifted  one  after 
another  upon  the  well-armed  raft  or  grounded  on  the 
banks. 

Then  the  two  fatal  vessels  prepared  by  the  cunning 
Italian  came  drifting  toward  the  bridge.  The  pilots, 
after  arranging  everything  for  the  explosion,  had 
made  their  escape  unseen.  Instead  of  flaming  like 
the  others,  these  had  only  a  little  fire  upon  the  deck. 
Neither  of  them  was  caught  by  the  raft.  The  Fortune 
staggered  just  inside  of  it,  and  then  went  aground 
near  Kalloo.  The  slowmatcli  burned  out,  there  was 
a  slight  explosion,  and  nothing  more. 

A  few  daring  volunteers  boarded  the  vessel  to 
explore  while  tlie  troops  gazing  from  the  bridge  made 
merry  over  the  supposed  failure  of  the  whole  scheme. 


PABMA'S  BRIDGE.  39 

But  the  Hope  had  now  got  between  the  end  of  the 
raft  and  the  shore,  and  presently  she  struck  with 
violence  against  the  bridge,  close  to  the  blockhouse 
where  the  prince  of  Parma  was  standing  with  some 
of  his  principal  officers  around  him.  While  several 
bold  fellows  sprang  on  board  to  extinguish  the  little 
fire  that  was  smoldering  there,  a  young  ensign,  seized 
with  an  overpowering  apprehension  for  his  general's 
safety,  fell  on  his  knees  before  the  prince  of  Parma 
and  vehemently  conjured  him  to  leave  tliat  spot.  At 
first  Alexander  refused,  but  finally  yielded  to  the 
ensign's  passionate  entreaties  and  walked  toward  Fort 
Saint  Mary.  Just  as  he  reached  it  the  explosion 
took  place.  In  an  instant  vessel,  blockhouse,  and 
two  hundred  feet  of  the  bridge,  with  all  the  soldiers 
standing  upon  it,  were  blown  into  the  air. 

"  The  Scheldt  yawned  to  its  lowest  depths,"  says 
Motley,  "  and  then  cast  its  waters  across  the  dikes, 
deep  into  the  forts,  and  far  over  the  land.  The  earth 
shook  as  with  the  throb  of  a  volcano.  A  wild  glare 
lighted  up  the  scene  for  one  moment,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  pitchy  darkness.  Houses  were  toppled 
down  miles  away,  and  not  a  living  thing,  even  in 
remote  places,  could  keep  its  feet.  The  air  was  filled 
with  a  rain  of  plowshares,  gravestones,  and  marble 
balls,  intermixed  with  the  heads,  limbs,  and  bodies 
of  what  had  been  human  beings.    ...   A  thousand 


40  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINGE  MAURICE. 

soldiers  were  destroyed  in  a  second  of  time,  many  of 
tbem  being  torn  to  shreds  beyond  even  tbe  semblance 
of  humanity." 

Several  of  Parnui's  most  eminent  officers  perished 
in  the  catastrophe.  Alexander  himself  was  struck 
senseless  by  a  flying  stake  ;  and  as  he  was  known  to 
have  been  upon  the  fatal  spot  but  a  moment  before, 
the  horrified  survivors  at  once  inferred  that  their 
leader  was  no  more.  All  was  consternation  and  de- 
spair. The  fleet  that  lay  waiting  at  Lillo  needed  only 
to  make  its  way  through  the  breach  and  convey  to 
Antwerp  the  expected  relief. 

It  had  been  agreed  that  if  the  bridge  should  be  so 
effectually  shattered  as  to  make  it  practicable  for  the 
Zealand  fleet  to  come  up,  the  admiral  should  send  up 
a  rocket.  In  order  to  ascertain  the  result  he  was  to 
dispatch  a  swift  barge  down  the  river  immediately 
after  the  explosion.  But  the  luckless  "  Koppen- 
Loppen "  was  so  nearly  distracted  by  the  appalling 
noise  that  after  sending  off  the  barge  to  reconnoiter 
he  took  to  his  heels  without  waiting  for  tidings.  The 
boatman  himself  dared  not  come  near  the  fatal  spot ; 
and  after  a  little  rowing  hither  and  thither  came 
back   and  reported  that  the  whole  thing  had   failed. 

Meanwhile  everybody  in  Antwei-p  was  eagerly 
watching  for  the  signal  rocket.  Sainte-Aldegonde 
and   Gianibelli  were  standing  together  in  one  of  the 


FAB  MA'S  BRIDGE.  41 

forts  close  to  the  city  walls,  expecting  the  joyful 
token  of  their  complete  success.  But  it  never  came. 
The  triumph  they  had  fairly  won  was  thus  snatched 
from  them  in  the  moment  when  their  hand  almost 
grasped  it,  by  the  incompetency  and  cowardice  of 
those  on  whom  they  depended. 

Parma  had  soon  recovered  from  the  shock  of  the 
explosion  ;  and  though  every  moment  expecting  that 
the  shattered  bridge  would  be  assailed  on  both  sides, 
he  had  labored  with  such  coui'age  and  energy  that 
the  ruined  portion  was  quickly  repaired.  Three  days 
passed  before  the  Antwerp  people  found  out  that  the 
bridge  had  actually  been  broken  ;  and  by  that  time 
it  was  apparently  as  strong  as  ever. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    FIGHT    ON    THE    KOWENSTTN    DIKE. 

T"N  spite  of  this  terrible  disappointment  the  Ant- 
■-'-  werpers  kept  up  their  courage,  and  worried  the 
Spaniards  night  and  day  with  contrivances  of  all 
sorts.  "  They  are  never  idle  in  the  city,"  wrote 
Parma  to  the  king  a  month  or  two  after  the  explosion 
at  the  bridge.  "  Every  day  we  are  expecting  some 
new  invention.  .  .  .  "We  are  always  upon  the  alert, 
with  arms  in  our  hands.  Every  one  must  mount 
guard,  myself  as  well  as  the  rest,  almost  every  night 
and  the  better  part  of  every  day."  The  daring 
cruisers  of  Zealand  darted  hither  and  thither  in  their 
swift  vessels  all  over  the  submerged  territory,  threat- 
ening a  fort  here  or  seizing  an  outpost  there  with 
provoking  audacity,  and  vanishing  as  suddenly  as 
they  came.  Every  night  signals  gleamed  from  Ant- 
werp to  Lillo  and  back  again  ;  so  that  the  troops  at 
the  bridge  were  constantly  expecting  a  combined 
attack  with  all  kinds  of  infernal  contrivances. 

Meteren  relates  that  Gianibelli  was  allowed  to  make 
a  second  attempt.  At  first  he  had  the  promise  of 
three  large  ships  ;  but   the  authorities,  having   heard 

42 


TEE  FIGHT  ON  KOWENSTYN  DIKE.         43 

meanwhile  that  once  somebody  broke  a  bridge  some- 
where else  by  using  one  ship,  decided  that  one  must 
do  for  Giauibelli.  Tliis  penny-wise  policy  was  ex- 
hibited repeatedly  in  tlie  course  of  the  siege.  One 
feature  of  the  present  scheme  was  to  send  vessels 
heavily  armed  with  iron,  in  order  to  break  the  bridge 
by  dashing  against  it  under  full  sail.  "  But  nobody 
would  adventure  himself  in  these  ships  willingly," 
adds  Meteren,  "  and  such  as  had  deserved  to  die,  they 
dared  not  trust."  So  this  part  of  the  plan  was 
dropped.  On  the  new  "hell-burner"  Giauibelli  put 
four  thousands  pounds  of  powder,  aud  to  prevent  any 
one  coming  to  extinguish  the  fire  he  hung  all  around 
the  sides  of  the  vessel  casks  lined  with  masonry  and 
filled  with  powder,  which  were  to  explode  one  after 
another,  according  to  the  length  of  the  slowmatch 
connected  with  each.  Ten  little  fire  ships  were  to 
accompany  this.  But  when  all  was  nearly  ready,  it 
was  decided  to  try  to  break  the  Kowenstyu  dike 
instead ;  and  after  the  siege  was  over  Parma  had  an 
opportunity  to  inspect  Giauibelli's  unused  contriv- 
ances at  his  leisure. 

The  great  Kowenstyu  dike,  whose  preservation  had 
appeared  to  the  Antwerp  butchers  so  vital,  and  whose 
destruction  was  now  the  city's  last  hope,  extended 
from  a  point  not  far  above  Lillo  on  the  right  bank  of 
the   Scheldt  to   Stabroek,  a  village   of  Brabant.     Its 


44  THE  DAYS   OF  PlilNCE  MAUBICE. 

whole  length  was  three  miles.  At  the  top  it  was 
scarcely  six  paces  across.  Parma  had  fortified  it  with 
everythiag  that  the  engineering  of  those  daj's  could 
contrive.  Besides  strengthening  it  with  timberwork 
and  piles,  he  had  bordered  its  slippery  sides  with 
stakes  driven  close  together  all  along  each  side  of  its 
broad  base.  There  were  five  forts  upon  it :  one  at 
each  end,  and  the  three  others  at  intervals  of  about  a 
mile.  The  low  spongy  meadows  crossed  by  this  dike 
had  once  been  the  bed  of  the  Scheldt ;  and  if  only  a 
broad  breach  could  be  made,  the  river  might  return 
to  its  ancient  channel,  leaving  Parma  and  his  bridge 
to  themselves.  The  Brabant  side  was  already  over- 
flowed to  the  very  gates  of  Antwerp,  so  that  the 
Zealand  flatboats  might  have  conveyed  thither  abun- 
dant supplies  could  they  only  have  had  a  passage 
through  the  dike.  But  on  the  Flemish  side  there  was 
so  much  of  the  surface  still  above  water  at  the  Doel, 
Kalloo,  and  Beveren,  and  these  spots  were  so  strongly 
held  by  Parma's  troops  that  it  was  out  of  the  question 
to  reach  the  city  that  way. 

Various  feigned  assaults  were  made  upon  the  bridge 
as  well  as  the  dike  while  the  great  scheme  was 
maturing.  On  the  seventh  of  May  something  was 
attempted  in  earnest.  The  fleet  from  Lillo  surprised 
the  sentinels  on  that  part  of  the  dike  between  Fort 
Saint  George  and  the  Fort  of  the  Palisades,  and  five 


THE  FIGHT  ON  KOWENSTTN  DIKE.  45 

hundred  bold  Zealanders  gained  a  footing  tliere.  But 
owing  to  a  misunderstanding  of  signals  the  Antwerp 
fleet  failed  to  come  to  their  support  and  the  Zealanders 
could  not  hold  the  position.  About  two  hundred  of 
them  perished  on  the  dike,  or  were  drowned  in  the 
flight. 

The  grand  assault  took  place  on  the  twenty-sixth 
of  May.  Two  hundred  vessels  had  been  fitted  out, 
some  bearing  cargoes  of  provisions  from  Zealand, 
some  laden  with  sacks  of  sand  or  wool  and  other 
materials  for  erecting  hasty  breastworks  upon  the 
dike.  Count  Hohenlo  and  Admiral  Justinus  of  Nas- 
sau had  charge  of  the  expedition  coming  from  Zea- 
land, while  the  Antwerp  vessels  were  commanded  by 
Sainte-Aldegonde. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  that  day  the 
sentinels  on  the  Kowenstyn  were  startled  to  see  four 
flaming  ships  approaching  from  the  direction  of  Lillo. 
The  drums  beat  to  arms,  and  the  Spaniards,  not 
without  shuddering,  mustered  upon  the  dike,  for  aught 
they  knew  to  be  blown  into  the  clouds.  The  glare  of 
these  fiery  apparitions  revealed  a  host  of  gunboats 
behind  them,  and  presently  a  party  of  Zealanders 
landed  on  the  same  portion  of  the  dike  from  which 
they  had  been  repulsed  not  quite  three  weeks  before. 
There  was  another  desperate  struggle,  and  the  Zea- 
landers were  on   the   point  of  being   driven  off  once 


46  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

more,  when  they  heard  the  cheery  shouts  of  the 
Antwerp  men  on  the  other  side  of  the  dike.  The 
Spaniards,  being  thus  attacked  both  in  front  and  rear, 
were  obliged  to  give  way  ;  and  the  whole  Netherland 
force,  amounting  to  three  thousand,  effected  a  landing. 
Without  losing  a  moment,  some  of  them  began  to 
dig  away  at  the  dike ;  while  on  either  side  of  the 
intended  breach  the  rest  hastily  fortified  themselves 
by  means  of  the  materials  they  had  brought  with  them. 
But  in  the  midst  of  their  digging  and  delving  a  strong- 
detachment  from  Fort  Saint  George  fell  upon  them. 
Hand  to  hand  they  struggled  and  bled  and  fell.  It 
was  one  of  the  most  desperate  actions  in  the  whole 
war.  At  last  the  patriots  drove  the  Spaniards  back 
and  held  the  entire  line  between  Saint  George  and  the 
Palisades,  which  was  a  full  mile. 

For  three  hours  they  remained  unmolested  and  tri- 
umphant. The  guns  of  Saint  George  had  ceased  to  play 
upon  them,  and  the  Palisades  had  almost  fallen  into 
their  hands.  The  sappers  and  miners  dug  furiously 
at  the  dike,  and  at  last  it  yielded.  There  rose  a  great 
shout  of  triumph  as  the  sea  began  to  sweep  through 
the  gap  they  had  made,  for  they  were  now  sure  that 
Antwerp  was  saved.  One  of  the  Zealand  barges, 
laden  with  bread  and  beef,  at  once  pushed  its  wa}' 
through  toward  the  city.  Hohenlo  and  Sainte-Alde- 
gonde    beside  themselves  with  joy,  sprang  on  board, 


THE  FIGHT  ON  K0WEN8TTN  DIKE.         47 

resolved  to  be  the  bearers  of  the  glorious  news  with- 
out a  moment's  delay. 

While  they  were  hurrying  up  to  the  city  to  bid  the 
people  ring  their  bells  and  light  their  bonfires,  and 
while  the  gallant  fellows  on  the  dike  were  swinging 
their  hats  and  shouting  for  joy,  old  Count  Mansfeld 
was  holding  a  very  grave  council  of  war  down  at 
Stabroek.  Something  must  be  done  forthwith,  or  the 
rebel  victory  would  be  as  complete  as  they  fancied  it. 
Their  chief  was  at  Beveren,  a  dozen  miles  away,  and 
there  was  no  reaching  him,  with  three  thousand  des- 
peradoes entrenched  on  the  dike  between,  and  a  hun- 
dred and  sixty  Zealand  vessels  hanging  along  its 
sides.  Some  of  the  Spanish  otticers  advised  to  wait 
till  night  before  making  an  assault.  Possibly  Alex- 
ander might  meanwhile  get  news  of  their  situation, 
and  come  to  their  relief. 

Here  the  colonel  of  the  Italian  legion,  Camilla  Cap- 
izucca  by  name,  made  a  pointed  little  speech  on  the 
other  side.  "  If  we  wait  either  for  night  or  for 
Parma,"  said  he  in  substance,  "  it  is  all  over  with  us. 
Before  the  coming  of  either  the  dike  will  be  broken 
past  all  hope  of  mending,  and  nothing  will  remain  but 
to  raise  the  siege.  Let  me.  lead  my  own  men  to  the 
attack  this  very  hour." 

This  aroused  the  rest,  and  the  veteran  Count  Mans- 
feld was  not  the  man  to  hold  them  back.     Just  at  this 


48  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

moment  there  came  in  from  the  most  remote  portion 
of  the  Stabroek  encampment  about  two  hundred  men 
of  the  Spanish  legion,  with  several  eminent  officers. 
These,  joining  the  three  hundred  chosen  veterans  of 
the  Italians  who  were  already  drawn  up  in  marching 
order,  dropped  upon  their  knees  and  repeated  a  short 
prayer  to  the  Virgin,  who  was  believed  to  be  especially 
interested  for  the  capture  of  Antwerp.  Having  fin- 
ished their  devotions,  they  marched  cheerily  along  the 
dike  to  the  Fort  of  the  Palisades,  which  was  sorely 
beset  by  the  patriot  forces.  At  this  unexpected  re- 
inforcement, the  besieged  took  heart  and  made  a  bold 
sortie.  The  besiegers  fell  back  to  their  own  entrench- 
ments and  the  fort  was  rescued,  henceforth  to  be 
called  Fort  Victory.  Just  as  the  royalists  were  about 
to  move  upon  the  rebel  works,  in  the  midst  of  which 
the  sappers  and  miners  were  still  digging,  a  joyful 
outcry  reached  them  from  their  comrades  on  the  other 
side.     Parma  was  coming  ! 

He  had  gone  eai'ly  that  morning  to  Beveren,  to 
snatch  a  little  sleep,  when  the  sound  of  a  distant  can- 
nonade reached  his  ear.  Hurrying  back  to  the  bridge, 
where  the  young  Count  Mansfeld  was  in  command  of 
a  part  of  the  Italian  legion,  he  found  that  the  Dutch 
vessels  had  come  down  from  Antwerp  in  order  to 
divert  the  attention  of  those  troops  from  the  principal 
scene   of   action.     The   young   count  had    received  a 


TRE  FIGHT  ON  KOWENSTYN  DIKE.         49 

quaint  and  pointed  message  from  his  father  at  Sta- 
broek  just  before  the  patriots  got  possession  of  the 
dike.  "  Charles,  my  boy,"  said  the  old  warrior, 
"  to-day  we  must  either  beat  them  or  burst."  Alexan- 
der paused  only  long  enough  to  drive  off  the  Antwerp 
vessels  with  his  boat  artillery,  and  then,  bidding  Count 
Charles  heed  well  his  father's  words,  he  pressed  on  at 
the  head  of  all  the  troops  that  could  possibly  be  spared. 
Under  the  fire  of  patriot  gunboats  they  fought  their 
way  along  the  slippery  dike  to  Fort  Saint  George,  the 
general  himself  marching  on  foot  at  the  head  of  his 
men.  On  arriving  he  ordered  an  outer  breastwork  of 
woolsacks  and  sandbags  to  be  instantly  thrown  up, 
and  planted  a  battery  to  play  on  the  entrenchments 
of  the  rebels. 

And  now,  on  this  mere  thread  of  land  a  mile  long, 
five  thousand  men  fought  hand  to  hand  in  mortal 
strife.  The  patriots  had  solemnly  vowed  that  day  to 
save  Antwerp  or  die.  The  soldiers  of  Parma,  inspired 
by  their  general's  presence,  and  comprehending  what 
the  issue  must  involve,  were  no  less  determined  than 
they.  Four  times  they  charged  the  patriot  entrench- 
ments, on  both  sides  at  once,  in  vain.  The  slaughter 
was  fearful.  Captain  Heraugi^re  had  only  thirteen 
men  left  out  of  two  hundred.  On  the  fifth  assault,  it 
is  related  that  the  troops  of  Parma  distinctly  beheld 
the  well-known  figure  of  the  dead  commander  of  the 


50  TEE  DAYS   OF  PEINCE  MAUBJCE. 

Spanish  legion  charging  at  the  head  of  his  own  men. 
Everybody  knew  that  Don  Pedro  Pacchi  had  fallen 
at  the  siege  of  Dendermonde,  several  months  before ; 
yet  all  through  the  ranks  they  saw  him,  wearing  the 
very  same  coat  of  mail,  making  the  very  same  ges- 
tures which  they  remembered  so  well.  The  mysteri- 
ous apparition  was  never  accounted  for,  but  it  served 
the  purpose.  Animated  by  what  they  believed  to  be 
a  divine  interposition,  the  Spaniards  charged  with  such 
fury  that  the  works  were  carried  at  last.  Meanwhile 
tlie  hot  firing  from  the  forts  had  disabled  many  of  the 
patriot  vessels  ;  and  now  the  ebbing  of  the  tide  forced 
the  others  to  move  away  from  the  dike.  This  change 
of  position,  being  taken  for  a  retreat,  caused  a  fatal 
panic,  in  which  there  were  slain  or  drowned  not  less 
than  two  thousand  men.  The  Spaniards  even  swam 
after  the  fugitives  who  were  trying  to  reach  the  ships  ; 
and  having  carried  their  swords  in  their  teeth,  they 
butchered  their  foes  in  the  midst  of  the  waves. 

The  day  was  lost.  "  We  had  cut  the  dike  in  three 
places,"  wrote  Captain  James,  an  English  officer  who 
shared  in  the  fight,  "but  left  it  most  shamefully, 
for  want  of  commandment."  There  was  nobody  to 
give  orders ;  for  Hohenlo  and  Sainte-Aldegonde 
were  in  Antwerp,  already  celebrating  their  supposed 
triumph. 

"  Our  loss  —  a  thousand  men,"  —  wrote  Parma  that 


THE  FIGHT  ON  KOWENSTYN  DIKE.  61 

night  to  the  king,  —  "is  greater  than  I  wish  it  '/vas. 
It  was  a  very  close  thing,  and  I  have  never  been  more 
anxious  in  my  life.  The  whole  fate  of  the  battle  was 
hanging  all  the  time  by  a  thread.  The  fight  lasted 
from  seven  to  eight  hours,  with  the  most  brave  ob- 
stinacy on  both  sides  that  has  been'' seen  for  many  a 
long  day." 

Meanwhile,  only  a  few  miles  away,  Antwerp  was 
holding  a  perfect  carnival  over  her  imagined  deliver- 
ance. Down  there  at  the  dike  Parma  was  hastily 
filling  up  the  gaps  with  the  bodies  of  the  slain  ;  while 
in  the  city  bonfires  were  blazing,  bells  ringing,  cannon 
pealing,  and  all  was  too  little  to  express  the  public  re- 
joicing. Wharves  and  storehouses  were  made  ready 
for  the  bountiful  supplies  soon  to  come  pouring  in.  A 
splendid  banquet  was  spread  in  the  town  hall ;  the 
choicest  wines  graced  the  festive  board,  and  the 
fairest  ladies  honored  it  with  their  presence.  Count 
Hohenlo  presided,  and  his  handsome,  aristocratic 
face,  his  long  fair  curling  hair,  his  princely  bearing 
suited  the  position  well.  In  the  midst  of  the  feasting 
and  drinking  came  the  fatal  tidings.  A  few  maugled 
and  bleeding  forms  were  brought  into  the  town  hall, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  gay  assembly  they  were 
laid  down  to  die.  All  was  consternation.  Rushing 
from  the  banquet,  Hohenlo  hid  himself  from  the 
curses  and  threats  of  the  enraged  citizens,  whose  too 


52  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

hasty  exultation  had  so  suddenly  given  place  to  utter 
despah'. 

It  was  all  over  with  Antwerp.  She  had  no  longer 
any  heart  to  keep  up  the  struggle.  Twice  her  de- 
liverance had  been  really  won,  and  twice  the  incom- 
petence and  folly  of  some  of  her  own  leaders  had 
thrown  the  victory  away.  The  disappointment  was 
most  bitter.  There  seemed  to  be  no  one  on  whose 
leadership  they  could  rely,  as  they  had  done  while 
William  lived.  Prince  Maurice,  who  was  one  day  to 
achieve  so  much  for  his  people,  was  still  a  mere 
youth ;  and  the  promised  aid  of  Queen  Elizabeth  was 
too  doubtful  and  dilatory  to  be  waited  for.  The 
Zealand  cruisers  were  growing  discouraged  and  in- 
active, and  the  lucrative  commerce  of  Antwerp 
was  sure  to  be  ruined  by  long  continuance  of  the 
siege.  It  only  remained  to  make  the  best  terms  they 
could. 

Within  a  few  days  after  this  great  defeat  it  began 
to  be  whispered  in  the  city  that  Sainte-Aldegonde  was 
to  hold  a  secret  conference  with  the  prince  of  Parma. 
Instantly  that  numerous  class  of  persons  who  take  it 
upon  them  to  find  fault  with  whatever  is  done,  or  left 
undone,  by  the  government,  raised  a  cry  of  bribery. 
Yet  in  the  course  of  a  month  negotiations  were 
openly  begun,  the  broad  council  sending  three  depu- 
ties with  the  burgomaster  to  Parma's  camp. 


THE   FIGHT   ON  KOWENSTYN  DIKE.  53 

There  were  three  conditions  on  which  the  commis- 
sioners were  instructed  to  insist,  namely :  that  re- 
ligious liberty  should  be  allowed ;  that  the  citadel 
should  not  be  rebuilt ;  and  that  there  should  be  no 
foreign  garrison.  Accordingly  they  did  insist ;  but 
the  courteous  prince  of  Parma  stood  no  less  stiffly  on 
his  own  platform  than  they  did  upon  theirs.  Reli- 
gious toleration  and  constitutional  rights  were  the  two 
things  of  all  others  which  Philip  II  would  never 
grant,  under  any  possible  circumstances. 

The  citizens  were  dissatisfied  and  unreasonable  — 
as  hungry  people  are  apt  to  be.  The  city  magistrates 
wrangled  much  among  themselves.  August  arrived, 
and  still  the  negotiations  lingered.  Famine  was  now 
at  the  door.  Almost  every  day,  fierce  mobs  gathered 
in  the  streets,  clamoring  for  bread.  At  l^t  the 
commissioners  accepted  Parma's  terms,  abandoning 
the  religious  stipulation  altogether.  Alexander  made 
some  trifling  concessions  as  to  the  garrison,  promising 
to  bring  into  the  city  only  German  and  Walloon 
soldiers  in  numbers  sufficient  for  a  bodyguard. 
The  city  was  to  submit  to  the  royal  authority,  to 
practice  no  religion  but  the  Roman  Catholic,  and  to 
pay  a  fine  of  five  hundred  thousand  florins.  Any 
persons  who  would  not  return  to  the  ancient  Church 
must  wind  up  their  affairs  and  leave  the  country 
within    two   years,   keeping   their   heresy   very   close 


54  THE  DAYS   OF  PlilNCE  MAUEWE. 

in  the   mean   time.    The    treaty    was    signed   August 
17,  1585. 

Ten  days  later  the  prince  of  Parma  entered 
Antwerp  in  triumph.  According  to  the  custom  of 
those  days  the  citizens  prepared  a  vast  amount  of 
allegorical  pageantry  for  the  great  occasion.  The 
military  processiom  entered  at  the  Keyser  gate,  where 
it  encountered  a  magnificent  triumphal  chariot.  In  it, 
surrounded  by  lovely  maidens,  sat  a  beautiful  woman, 
personifying  the  city.  This  queenly  "  Antwerpia," 
greeting  Alexander  with  a  kiss,  recited  a  laudatory 
poem  and  presented  him  with  the  keys  of  the  city, 
one  of  them  being  made  of  gold.  The  conquei'or 
fastened  the  golden  key  to  his  chain  as  a  trophy  no 
less  prized  than  the  insignia  of  the  Golden  Fleece, 
with'  wiiich  he  had  lately  been  invested.  He  found 
upon  the  public  square,  called  the  Mere,  a  colossal 
statue  of  himself,  set  up  as  a  fitting  companion  to  that 
of  Alexander  of  Macedon.  Then  there  arose  before 
him  an  enormous  phoenix,  elephants,  dragons,  ships  of 
war,  and  many  other  astounding  objects,  all  supposed 
to  have  some  impressive  allegorical  significance  ap- 
propriate to  the  occasion.  At  last  the  long  procession 
arrived  at  the  cathedral.  Much  incense  and  holy 
water  had  been  required  to  disinfect  the  sacred  edifice 
of  its  recent  Protestantism.  After  the  performance 
of    a    grand    Te   Deum,    and   much   more    of    street 


THE  FIGHT  ON  KOWENSTYN  DIKE.  55 

parade,    Parma  was   at   last   permitted    to  reach  the 
palace  prepared  for  him. 

As  soon  as  three  days  of  these  festivities  were 
over  Parma  made  certain  changes  iu  the  board  of 
magistrates  which  brought  matters  under  his  own 
control.  The  citadel  had  always  been  hateful  to  the 
people,  as  its  obvious  purpose  was  to  overawe  the 
city,  not  to  protect  it.  A  few  years  before  they  had 
leveled  two  of  its  five  sides  to  the  ground.  But  now 
it  was  adroitly  managed  to  have  the  magistrates  them- 
selves propose  to  rebuild  this  precious  monument  of 
Alva's  tyranny.  "  The  erection  of  the  castle  has  thus 
been  determined  upon,"  wrote  Parma,  "  and  I  am  sup- 
posed to  know  nothing  at  all  of  the  resolution."  Six 
weeks  later  he  mentioned  that  the  people  were  "  work- 
ing away  most  furiously  at  the  citadel,  and  within 
a  month  it  will  be  stronger  than  ever  before." 

Had  Alexander  been  fully  aware  of  the  state  to 
which  the  city  was  reduced  at  the  time  the  treaty  was 
signed,  he  would  doubtless  have  exacted  severer 
terms.  .  Three  days  afterward  it  was  found  that  there 
was  not  a  loaf  of  bread  left  in  Antwerp.  On  the 
other  hand,  had  the  citizens  been  aware  of  Parma's 
straits,  they  might  have  taken  heart  to  hold  out  a 
little  longer.  Doubtless  it  is  harder  to  starve  for 
one's  country  than  to  fight  for  it ;  yet  not  a  few 
Netherland    cities   had    already    nobly    endured    this 


56  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

sharpest  ordeal  of  patriotism.  Harlem  had  for  six 
weeks  subsisted  on  flaxseed  and  turnip  seed,  had 
eaten  dogs  and  cats,  horsehides  and  shoe  leather ; 
and  Leyden  had  done  the  same  till  in  many  a  house, 
from  famine  and  from  pestilence,  whole  families  lay 
dead.  Had  Antwerp  likewise  faced  starvation  and 
kept  her  gates  locked  a  month  or.  two  longer,  it  would 
have  been  no  more  than  Brussels  had  lately  done  ;  no 
more  than  Roman  Catholic  Paris  soon  afterwards  did 
when  besieged  by  Henry  of  Navarre ;  no  more  than 
was  done  by  the  gay  and  luxurious  Paris  of  1871. 
Nor  would  it  inevitably  have  been  in  vain.  The  fleets 
of  Holland  and  Zealand  were  even  then  planning 
another  expedition  equipped  with  fire  machines  and 
what  not  to  attack  the  palisades  ;  and  the  following 
winter  proved  so  tempestuous  that  the  bridge  could 
not  have  outlasted  it. 

But  Antwerp  had  not  the  heroism  of  Leyden.  The 
opulent  city  had  grown  pusillanimous  through  her 
devotion  to  gain.  She  did  not  stay  for  downright 
starvation ;  it  was  only  a  question  of  being  longer 
shut  up  from  the  lucrati\e  commerce  which  she 
loved.  Certainly  she  was  sorry  to  sell  her  birthright ; 
but  after  all  the  pottage  wrfls  more  practical.  She 
would  have  enjoyed  freedom  of  conscience  had  it 
been  perfectly  convenient,  but,  since  she  must  choose 
between  the  two,  she  cared  more  about  gold. 


THE  FIGHT  ON  K0WEN8TYN  DIKE.  57 

However,  there  were  many  in  Antwerp  who  made  a 
different  choice.  They  would  not  put  up  with  the 
Inquisition,  they  could  not  let  the  Bible  go  on  any 
terms.  Hastily  disposing  of  their  possessions,  they 
Aveut  forth  to  other  lands.  With  these  liberty-loving 
heretics  departed  the  prosperity  of  Antwerp.  Less 
than  three  months  after  the  surrender  Parma  wrote 
to  the  king  :  "  Certainly  the  poor  city  is  most  forlorn, 
the  heretics  having  all  left  it."  The  historian  Meteren, 
after  describing  the  previous  condition  of  Antwerp, 
remarks:  "But  all  this  traffic,  all  this  power  and 
glory,  is  since  the  capture  gone  into  decay,  and  still 
diminishes  daily,  being  transported  to  other  towns, 
with  no  appearance  of  amendment  so  long  as  the 
war  shall  last;  for  the  garrison,  the  castle,  the 
restraint  in  religion  are  wholly  contrary  to  free  traffic 
and  commerce."  Since  that  day  Antwerp  has  never 
regained  its  former  position.  One  can  hardly  repress 
a  certain  severe  satisfaction  in  recollecting  that  during 
a  large  portion  of  these  three  centuries  the  Scheldt 
has  been  practically  closed  to  commerce,  as  if  some 
phantom  host  were  maintaining  an  invisible  blockade. 


CHAPTER  V. 

MATTERS    BETWEEN    THE    NETHERLANDERS    AND    THEIR 
NEIGHBORS. 

THE  people  of  the  Netherlands,  stout-hearted  and 
self-reliant  as  they  were,  had  long  desired  the 
protection  and  assistance  of  some  neighboring  power 
in  their  unequal  contest  with  Spain.  And  notwith- 
standing their  disastrous  experience  under  the  duke  of 
Anjou,  a  strong  party  was  still  in  favor  of  seeking  an 
alliance  with  France,  though  many  preferred  to  ask 
the  protection  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  Of  course  France 
would  be  able  to  aid  them  far  more  than  could  Eng- 
land, provided  she  were  as  much  disposed,  which  was 
not  very  certain.  At  this  time  France  was  more  popu- 
lous and  powerful  than  any  other  kingdom  in  Europe 
except  Spain.  Her  people  numbered  ten  or  twelve 
millions,  while  England  had  only  three  or  four.  Paris 
contained  at  least  three  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
inhabitants,  while  London  had  hardly  half  as  many. 
Moreover,  between  France  and  Spain  it  was  quite  a 
matter  of  course  to  have  a  war  on  hand,  and  these 
two  nations  might  as  well  be  fighting  about  the  Nether- 

58 


THE  NETHEELANDEB8.  59 

lands  as  anything  else.  And  though  it  must  )je 
admitted  that  the  French  king  and  the  majority  of  his 
subjects  were  Roman  Catholics  as  much  as  the  Span- 
iards ;  though  only  a  dozen  years  before  Paris  hud 
witnessed  the  massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew,  whose 
horrors  Protestants  could  never  forget ;  still  religious 
toleration  was  at  present  enjoyed  throughout  thj 
kingdom.  And  the  same  boon  would  doubtless  be 
cheerfully  conceded  to  the  Netherlands.  Besides,  the 
heir  apparent,  Henry  of  Navarre,  was  a  Protestant. 

On  the  other  hand  it  was  urged  that  although 
England  might  have  a  smaller  territory  and  fewer 
people  tlian  France,  she  certainly  had  a  much  more 
able  sovereign.  "  The  Netherlanders  were  too  shrewd 
a  people,"  remarks  Motley,  "  not  to  recognize  the 
difference  between  the  king  of  a  great  realm  who 
painted  his  face  and  wore  satin  petticoats,  and  the 
woman  who  entertained  ambassadors,  each  in  his  own 
language,  on  great  affairs  of  state ;  who  matched 
in  her  wit  and  wisdom  the  deepest  or  the  most 
sparkling  intellects  of  her  council ;  who  made  extem- 
poraneous Latin  orations  to  her  universities  ;  and  who 
rode  on  horseback  among  her  generals  along  the  lines 
of  her  troops  in  battle  arz'ay  ;  and  yet  was  only  the 
unmarried  queen  of  a  petty  and  turbulent  state." 
Besides,  Elizabeth  was  sincerely  and  irrevocably  a 
Protestant,   thanks  to  her   father's   quarrel  with   the 


60  THE  DAYS   OF  FBINCE  MAURICE. 

Pope ;  and  though  not  of  the  Netherluud  type  of 
Protestantism,  she  could  not  help  feeling  a  real  sym- 
pathy for  all  who  had  renounced  Rome. 

However,  the  Netherlands  offered  themselves  first  to 
France.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Anjou  two  envoys 
were  sent  to  propose  to  King  Henry  III  the  same 
position  which  Anjou  was  to  have  had,  that  is,  a 
limited  sovereignty  over  all  the  provinces  embraced 
in  the  Union  of  Utrecht,  except  Holland  and  Zealand. 
But  the  envoys  were  very  coldly  received ;  indeed 
they  did  not  obtain  an  audience  at  all.  After  waiting 
a  month  or  two  at  Rouen  —  for  they  were  not  per- 
mitted to  come  to  Paris  —  the  king  sent  a  secretary 
to  tell  them  that  he  was  much  obliged  to  the  States 
for  their  proposals  ;  but  it  would  not  be  convenient 
at  present  for  him  to  undertal^e  a  war  with  Spain, 
though  he  would  be  happy  to  do  almost  anything  else 
in  the  world  to  oblige  them. 

Des  Pruneaux,  the  French  envoy  to  the  States,  had 
accompanied  the  two  deputies  on  this  bootless  errand ; 
and  professed  himself  so  much  mortified  at  the  result 
that  he  wished  he  were  dead.  He  knew  enough  of 
their  country  to  consider  it  a  prize  worth  having  ;  and 
finally  prevailed  on  the  French  king  to  let  him  conduct 
the  deputies  again  to  France,  in  hope  that  something 
might  still  be  done.  It  was  evident  that  Henry  wished 
the  sovereignty  offered  to  him  without  conditions,  or 


THE  NETHEBLANDEBS.  61 

at  least  without  written  ones.  Moreover,  Holland  and 
Zealand  must  join  the  other  states  in  their  proposals. 
There  was  a  warm  discussion  of  the  matter  in  the 
Provinces ;  but  finally  the  French  party  carried  the 
day.  Early  in  1585,  while  Brussels  and  Antwerp 
were  besieged,  a  solemn  embassy  was  despatched  to 
offer  the  sovereignty  of  all  the  states  to  King  Henry, 
"on  conditions  to  be  afterwards  settled." 

The  embassy,  which  consisted  of  sixteen  members, 
proceeded  at  once  to  the  French  capital,  for  this  time 
the  king  was  "  at  home." 

At  Paris  the  envoys  were  sumptuously  entertained 
at  the  royal  expense,  and  in  the  course  of  six 
weeks  the}'  were  received  at  court  with  great  pomp. 
After  being  conducted  through  several  ante-chambers, 
crowded  with  lords  and  ladies,  they  reached  the  royal 
presence.  They  found  his  majesty  attired  in  white 
satin  doublet  and  hose,  with  well-starched  ruff,  a  short 
cloak  on  his  shoulders,  and  a  little  velvet  cap  on  the 
side  of  his  head.  His  long  hair  was  carefully  curled 
and  perfumed ;  and  suspended  from  his  neck  by  a 
broad  ribbon  was  a  little  basket  full  of  puppies. 
Although  he  smiled  good-humoredly  as  the  ambassa- 
dors advanced,  he  held  himself  stiff  and  motionless. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  ceremonious  speech-making 
and  banqueting  before  the  parties  came  to  an  under- 
standing.    The   envoys    tried   to   secure    a   provision 


62  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINGE  MAUBIGE. 

that  the  reformed  religion  only  should  be  permitted 
in  their  states ;  but  they  were  forced  to  give  it  up 
and  to  offer  the  sovereignty  without  any  conditions 
whatever.  And  after  having  come  to  this,  they  had 
the  extreme  mortification  of  finding  their  proposals 
decidedly  declined.  The  king  politely  sent  to  each 
of  the  sixteen  envoi's  a  parting  present  of  a  gold 
chain  weighing  just  twenty-one  ounces  and  ten  grains  ; 
and  let  them  return  as  they  came. 

All  this  trifling  was  very  mysterious  to  most  people, 
then,  but  it  appears  from  the  researches  of  modern 
historians  among  the  state  jiapers  and  private  corre- 
spondence of  those  days  that  there  were  secret  reasons 
for  the  unaccountable  conduct  of  the  French  court. 
The  truth  was  that  the  queen-mother,  Catherine 
de  Medicis,  desired  to  make  something  handsome  for 
her  own  pocket  out  of  the  Netherland  proposals. 
Philip  II  had  lately  conquered  Portugal,  to  the  throne 
of  which  kingdom  Catherine  pretended  to  have  some 
title.  The  claim  was  at  least  three  hundred  3'ears 
old ;  but  such  as  it  was,  she  could  now  turn  it  to 
good  account.  "The  ambassador  of  Spain,"  wrote 
the  queen-mother,  January  16,  1585,  "has  made  the 
most  beautiful  remonstrances  he  could  think  of  about 
the  deputies  from  the  Netherlands.  All  his  talk,  how- 
ever, only  increases  my  desire  to  have  reparation  for 
the  wrong  done  me  in  regard  to  my  claims  upon  For- 


THE  NETHEELANDEBS.  63 

tugal,  which  I  am  determined  to  pursue  by  every  means 
in  m}'  power."  If  the  king  of  Spain  did  not  wish 
aid  and  comfort  given  to  his  rebels  in  the  Low  Coun- 
tries, he  must  satisfy  her  without  delay. 

So  here  lay  the  secret  of  the  delays  by  which  eight 
months  of  precious  time  had  been  wasted.  Henry  III 
and  his  mother  were  almost  equal  to  Philip  himself 
at  lying.  "While  they  were  carrying  on  this  elabo- 
rate trifling  they  were  professing  great  affection  for 
Philip's  faithful  servant,  the  prince  of  Parma.  And 
while  they  were  directing  the  eyes  of  the  anxious 
Netherlanders  to  Queen  Elizabeth  as  their  best  de- 
pendence, and  promising  soon  to  join  her  in  affording 
aid,  they  were  likewise  proposing  to  help  Philip  in 
an  invasion  of  England.  Meanwhile  his  majesty  of 
Spain  was  secretly  expending  all  the  money  he 
could  well  scrape  together  in  kindling  a  civil  war  in 
France. 

By  the  time  the  Netherland  envoys  were  finally 
dismissed  Parma  had  closed  the  Scheldt,  and  forti- 
fied the  Kowenstyn  dike,  so  that  the  doom  of  Ant- 
werp was  virtually  sealed.  Queen  Elizabeth  now 
intimated  to  the  States  that  although  France  had 
refused  her  aid,  they  should  not  be  left  without  any 
ally.  Though  it  would  be  a  difficult  matter  for  Eng- 
land to  help  these  distressed  neighbors,  it  would  be 
most   perilous   to   herself   if   they  were    overpowered 


64  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

by  Spain.  As  the  sagacious  Lord  Burleigh  had  put 
it,  "Upon  comparison  made  betwixt  the  perils  on  the 
one  part  and  the  difficulties  on  the  other,  it  was  con- 
cluded to  advise  her  majesty  rather  to  seek  the 
avoiding  and  directing  of  the  great  perils,  than  in 
respect  of  any  difficulties  to  suffer  the  king  of  Spain 
to  grow  to  the  full  height  of  his  designs  and 
conquests." 

After  some  preliminary  consultations  a  solemn 
embassy  was  sent  in  July,  1585,  to  offer  the  sover- 
eignty of  the  Netherlands  to  the  queen  of  England. 
This  was  precisely  what  Elizabeth  did  not  want.  The 
honor  would  cost  more  than  it  would  be  worth.  She 
was  willing  to  give  her  protection  and  assistance ; 
indeed,  her  own  interest  required  that ;  but  she  posi- 
tively refused  to  become  their  queen.  The  envoys 
urged  and  implored,  but  this  time  Elizabeth  really 
meant  No,  and  they  had  to  give  it  up.  She  was 
willing  to  furnish  money  and  troops,  provided  she 
were  assured  of  being  fully  repaid  after  the  close  of 
the  war.  In  order  to  this,  four  cities,  including  the 
important  ports  of  Flushing  and  Brill,  were  to  be 
given  up  to  her  as  security. 

Now  the  Dutch  were  rather  sharp  in  bargaining,  as 
well  as  the  thrifty  queen  ;  and  it  took  some  time  to 
get  these  matters  settled.  The  States  wanted  at  least 
five  thousand  foot  and  one    thousand   horse,  besides 


THE  NETUEELANDEBS.  65 

the  garrisons  for  tlie  four  cities,  to  serve  at  the 
queen's  expense  during  the  war.  The  queen  wished 
to  provide  only  four  thousand  foot  and  four  hundred 
horse,  out  of  which  the  garrisons  were  to  be  deducted. 
However,  in  order  to  relieve  Antwerp,  Elizabeth 
offered  four  thousand  additional  men,  to  serve  until 
the  siege  should  be  raised ;  but  they  were  to  be 
paid  for  by  the  States  within  three  months  afterward. 
Sluys  and  Ostend  were  meanwhile  to  be  held  by  her 
as  security  for  this  very  prompt  repayment.  If  this 
seemed  rather  hard  terms,  there  was  at  least  the  com- 
fort of  knowing  that  however  close  bargains  the 
queen  might  exact,  she  meant  to  perform  what  she 
promised. 

In  the  royal  archives  at  The  Hague  there  may  still 
be  seen,  in  the  original  manuscripts,  full  records  of 
the  speeches  made  on  both  sides  during  this  im- 
portant negotiation.  Those  of  the  queen,  though  in 
the  French  language,  and  extemporaneous,  are  so 
dignified  and  spirited  that  they  are  well  worth  read- 
ing. Elizabeth  belongs  to  us  Auglo-Americans,  no 
less  than  to  those  who  are  British  subjects  now ; 
for  we  were  all  equally  English  three  hundred  years 
ago. 

It  was  noAv  the  fifth  of  August,  and  the  spokesman 
of  the  Netherland  envoys  had  just  been  arguing  his 
case  before  her  majesty  at  the   palace  of  Nonesuch. 


66  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

No  sooner  had  he  finished  than  the  queen  replied  as 
follows  1 :  — 

"  Gentlemen,  I  will  answer  you  upon  the  first  point, 
because  it  touches  my  honor.  You  say  that  I  prom- 
ised 3'ou,  both  by  letters  and  through  my  agent  Davi- 
son, and  also  by  my  own  lips,  to  assist  you  and  never 
to  abandon  you,  and  that  this  had  moved  you  to  come 
to  me  at  present.  Very  well,  masters  ;  do  you  not 
think  I  am  assisting  you  when  I  am  sending  3'ou  four 
thousand  foot  and  four  hundred  horse  to  serve  during 
the  war?  Certainly,  I  think  yes;  and  I  say  frankly 
that  I  have  never  been  wanting  to  my  word.  No 
man  shall  ever  say  with  truth  that  the  queen  of  Eng- 
land had  at  any  time  and  ever  so  slightly  failed  in 
her  promises,  whether  to  the  mightiest  monarch,  to 
republics,  to  gentlemen,  or  even  to  private  persons  of 
tlie  humblest  condition.  Am  I,  then,  in  your  opinion, 
forsaking  you  when  I  send  you  English  blood,  which 
I  love,  and  which  is  my  own  blood,  and  which  I  am 
bound  to  defend?  It  seems  to  me,  no.  For  my  part, 
I  tell  you  again  that  I  will  never  forsake  you. 

"  Sed  de  modo?  That  is  matter  for  agreement. 
You  are  aware,  gentlemen,  that  I  have  storms  to 
fear  from  many  quarters — from  France,  Scotland, 
Ireland,  and  within  my  own  kingdom.  What  would 
be  said  if  I  looked  only  on  one   side,  and  if  on  that 

'  As  quoted  by  Motley. 


THE  NETHEELANDEBS.  67 

side  I  employed  all  my  resources?  No;  I  will  give 
my  subjects  uo  cause  for  murmuring.  I  know  that 
my  counselors  desire  to  manage  matters  with  pru- 
dence;  sed  aetatem  habeo,^  and  you  are  to  believe  that 
of  my  own  motion  I  have  resolved  not  to  extend  my 
ofifer  of  assistance,  at  present,  beyond  the  amount 
already  stated.  But  I  don't  say  that  at  another  time 
I  may  not  be  able  to  do  more  for  you.  For  my 
intention  is  never  to  abandon  your  cause,  always  to 
assist  you,  and  never  more  to  suffer  any  foreign 
nation  to  have  dominion  over  you. 

"It  is  true  that  you  present  me  with  two  places  in 
each  of  your  provinces.  I  thank  you  for  them 
infinitely,  and  certainly  it  is  a  great  offer.  But  it  will 
be  said  instantly.  The  queen  of  England  wishes  to 
embrace  and  devour  everything  ;  while,  on  the  con- 
trary, I  only  wish  to  render  you  assistance.  I  be- 
lieve, in  truth,  that  if  other  mouarchs  should  have 
this  offer,  they  would  not  allow  such  an  opportunity 
to  escape.  I  do  not  let  it  slip  because  of  fears  that 
I  entertain  for  any  prince  whatever.  For  to  think 
that  I  am  not  aware  —  doing  what  I  am  doing  —  that 
I  am  embarking  in  a  war  against  the  king  of  Spain, 
is  a  great  mistake.  I  know  very  well  that  the  succor 
which  I  am  affording  you  will  offend  him  as  much  as 
if  I  should  do  a  great  deal  more.     But  what  care  I? 

1 "  But  I  am  of  age." 


68  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  3IAUBICE. 

Let  him  begin,  I  will  answer  him.  For  my  part,  I 
say  again,  that  never  did  fear  enter  my  heart.  We 
must  all  die  once.  I  know  very  well  that  many 
princes  are  my  enemies,  and  are  seeking  my  ruin ; 
and  that  where  malice  is  joined  with  force,  malice 
often  arrives  at  its  ends.  But  I  am  not  so  feeble 
a  princess  that  I  have  not  the  means  and  the  will  to 
defend  myself  against  them  all.  They  are  seeking 
to  take  mv  life,  but  it  troubles  me  not.  He  who  is 
on  high  has  defended  me  till  this  hour,  and  will  keep 
me  still,  for  in  Him  do  I  trust." 

Then  the  queen  alluded  to  the  demurring  of  the 
envoys  to  accept  her  proposal  on  the  ground  that  their 
powers  were  not  extensive  enough.  She  did  not  think 
they  needed  to  hesitate  on  that  account.  "  Neverthe- 
ess,"  she  continued,  "  I  don't  wish  to  contest  these 
points  with  you.  For  very  often  dum  Romae  disputa- 
tur,  Saguntum  perit."  i  It  was  precisely  so  in  the  pres- 
ent case.  Antwerp  was  perishing  while  they  were 
higgling  over  the  bargain  at  London. 

A  week  later  the  envoys  had  another  audience,  in 
which  the  terms  were  definitely  settled,  subject  to  the 
approval  of  the  government  of  the  States  ;  and  again 
Elizabeth  made  a  spirited  extemporaneous  reply. 
The  ambassadors  remarked  among  themselves  that  her 
majesty's  tongue  was   wonderfully    well    hung.     She 

1"  While  they  are  disputing  at  Rome,  Saguntum  falls." 


THE  NE  THE B LANDERS.  69 

concluded  by  saying,  "  For  myself,  I  promise  you  in 
truth  that  so  long  as  I  live,  and  even  to  my  last  sigh, 
I  will  never  forsake  you.  Go  home  and  tell  this 
boldly  to  those  who  sent  you  hither." 

While  they  were  gone  tliere  came  news  of  the  sur- 
render of  Antwerp.  This  made  the  outlook  decidedly 
darker,  but  Elizabeth  did  not  flinch.  On  the  contrary, 
she  now  took  up  the  cause  of  the  Provinces  with  more 
determination  than  ever.  In  fighting  for  them  she 
knew  that  she  was  fighting  for  England  too,  and  that 
it  was  better  to  meet  the  enemy  on  Netherland  soil 
than  on  her  own.  As  the  fall  of  Antwerp  had  made 
useless  the  force  she  had  offered  for  the  purpose  of 
relieving  it,  she  now  granted  what  she  had  before 
refused,  and  sent  the  five  thousand  foot  and  one  thou- 
sand horse,  besides  garrisons  for  Flushing  and  Brill. 
The  delay  of  the  States  to  ratify  the  engagements 
between  England  and  themselves  put  her  in  a  very  bad 
humor,  it  is  true ;  but  having  scolded  the  deputies  to 
her  heart's  content,  she  finally  recovered  her  temper, 
and  in  a  formal  manifesto  published  in  Dutch,  French, 
English,  and  Italian,  declared  herself  on  their  side 
before  the  world. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE   EAKL   OF   LEICESTER   IN   THE   NETHERLANDS. 

rr^OUCHING  the  last  point  of  your  demand,"  said 
-■--  her  majesty  in  the  address  from  which  some 
passages  have  already  been  quoted,  "  according  to 
which  you  desire  a  personage  of  quality  —  I  know, 
gentlemen,  that  you  do  not  always  agree  very  well 
among  yourselves,  and  that  it  would  be  good  for  you 
to  have  some  one  to  effect  such  agreement.  For  this 
reason  I  have  always  intended,  so  soon  as  we  should 
have  made  our  treaty,  to  send  a  lord  of  name  and 
authority  to  reside  with  you,  to  assist  you  in  govern- 
ing, and  to  aid  with  his  advice  in  the  direction  of 
your  affairs." 

The  personage  of  quality  selected  for  this  mission 
was  no  other  than  the  queen's  favorite,  Robert  Dud- 
ley, Earl  of  Leicester.  He  was  not  only  of  exalted 
rank,  but  of  splendid  and  fascinating  presence  and 
princely  wealth.  He  was  ambitious,  skilled  in  polit- 
ical intrigue,  and  conscience  never  stood  in  his  way. 
At  this  time  he  was  fifty-four  years  of  age,  being  just 
two  years  older  than  the  queen.     Though  in  person  he 

70 


Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester. 
From  Bor's  History  of  the  Netherlands,  1621. 


LEICESTEB  IN   TEE  NETHERLANDS.        71 

was  now  growing  somewhat  stout,  florid,  and  bald,  he 
was  no  less  stately  in  bearing,  magnificent  in  attire, 
and  dear  to  his  queen  than  he  had  been  in  the  flower 
of  his  youth.  She  had  named  him  to  the  ambassadors 
as  "  one  whom  I  love  as  if  he  were  my  own  brother." 
Yet  the  favorite  was  at  times  soundly  berated  by  the 
imperious  queen,  as  we  shall  see. 

The  position  which  he  was  expected  to  hold  was 
a  very  indefinite  and  anomalous  one.  He  was  to  be 
nominal  commander-in-chief  of  the  English  troops  — 
whose  real  general  was  Sir  John  Norris — and  the 
representative  of  her  majesty's  authority,  which  in 
the  present  state  of  affairs  was  no  better  defined 
than  his  own.  He  was  to  keep  up  a  very  mag- 
nificent style  of  living,  in  order  to  support  the 
dignity  of  his  mission  ;  but  he  was  to  have  no 
salary  whatever.  The  doting  queen  was  parsimo- 
nious even  with  him.  "  Whether  Elizabeth  loved 
Leicester  as  a  brother,  or  better  than  a  brother, 
may  be  an  historical  question,"  says  Motley;  "but 
it  is  no  question  at  all  that  she  loved  money  better 
than  she  did  Leicester." 

However,  the  appointment  was  an  honor,  and  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  spend  some  thousands  of  pounds  in 
preliminary  equipments.  One  important  item  of  these 
was  the  levy  of  a  choice  body  of  lancers.  He  arrived 
in  the  Low  Countries  December  19,  1585,  attended  by 


72  TEE  DAYS  OF  FBINCE  MAUBICE. 

a  fleet  of  fifty  sail,  and  many  of  the  great  nobles  of 
England.  The  young  Count  Maurice  of  Nassau,  and 
other  Netherland  nobles,  as  well  as  his  nephew.  Sir 
Philip  Sidney,  governor  of  Flushing,  waited  to  meet 
him  at  his  landing.  For  several  weeks  he  was  occu- 
pied with  a  sort  of  triumphal  progress  through  the 
country.  The  Netherland  people  always  liked  im- 
posing spectacles ;  and  upon  this  grand  occasion 
they  seemed  even  to  outdo  themselves  in  processions, 
banquets,  and  carousals.  Allegorical  performances, 
half  classic,  half  Christian,  were  much  in  vogue  at 
that  time,  as  well  as  Latin  orations  of  grandiloquent 
style  and  appalling  length.  At  The  Hague,  as  Leices- 
ter approached,  "  a  fleet  of  barges  was  sent  to  escort 
him.  Peter,  James,  and  John  met  him  upon  the 
shore,  while  the  Saviour  appeared  walking  upon  the 
waves,  and  ordered  his  disciples  to  cast  their  nets  and 
to  present  the  fish  to  his  excellency.  Farther  on,  he 
was  confronted  by  Mars  and  Bellona,  who  recited 
Latin  odes  in  his  honor.  Seven  beautiful  damsels, 
representing  the  seven  states  of  the  United  Nether- 
lands, offered  him  golden  keys  ;  seven  others  equally 
beautiful,  embodying  the  seven  sciences,  presented 
him  with  garlands ;  while  an  enthusiastic  barber 
adorned  his  shop  with  sevenscore  of  copper  basins, 
with  a  wax  light  in  each  together  with  a  I'ose  and  a 
Latin  posy  in  praise  of  Queen  Elizabeth.     Then  there 


LEICESTER  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS.        73 

were  tiltings  in  the  water  between  champions  mounted 
upon  whales  and  other  monsters  of  the  deep  —  repre- 
sentations of  siege,  famine,  pestilence,  and  murder  — 
the  whole  interspersed  with  fireworks,  poetry,  cha- 
rades, and  harangues." 

Amid  all  these  astonishing  spectacles,  however, 
Lord  Leicester  managed  to  keep  an  eye  upon  what- 
ever would  tell  him  the  real  condition  and  resources 
of  this  very  peculiar  country.  He  was  not  long  in 
discovering  that,  though  nature  had  seemingly  given 
the  Netherlanders  little  except  hindrances,  the  very 
obstacles  had  proved  wonderful  helps.  In  their  never- 
ending  warfare  with  the  hungry  sea  always  lying  in 
wait  to  devour  their  meager  little  territory  at  a  mouth- 
ful ;  in  their  toilsome  efforts  to  extort  harvests  from 
an  unpromising  soil,  beneath  a  sky  where  the  sun 
shines  scarcely  once  a  week,  —  the  people  had  grown 
into  real  athletes,  dauntless  and  invincible,  patient  in 
toil  and  hardship  and  tenacious  to  the  uttermost  of 
what  had  been  so  dearly  won.  And  now  both  country 
and  people  seemed  to  him  well  worth  having.  "  Great 
pity  it  were,"  he  wrote  to  Lord  Burleigh  during  his 
first  fortnight  among  them,  "that  so  noble  provinces 
and  goodly  havens,  with  such  infinite  ships  and  mar- 
iners, should  not  always  be  as  they  may  now,  easily, 
at  the  assured  devotion  of  England."  Lord  North 
also  wrote  home  glowing  accounts,  setting  forth  "  what 


74  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

multitudes  of  people  they  be,  what  stately  cities  and 
buildings  they  have,  how  notably  fortified  by  art,  how 
strong  by  nature,  how  fertile  the  whole  country  and 
how  wealthy  ;  "  and  lamented  that  he  "  lacked  wit  to 
dilate  this  matter." 

The  more  Leicester  and  his  countrymen  became 
acquainted  with  the  Netherlands,  the  more  anxious 
they  grew  lest  Spain  should  recover  them,  and  thus 
readily  conquer  England.  A  hundred  times  over  they 
wished  that  Elizabeth  would  but  accept  the  sovereignty 
which  the  Netherlanders  so  ardently  longed  to  bestow 
upon  her,  either  in  person  or  by  proxy  ;  and  thus 
secure  to  her  own  realm  the  best  possible  bulwark 
against  the  designs  of  Spain.  But  the  great  queen 
was  exceedingly  set  in  her  way  ;  and  on  this  point  she 
was  inexorable.  She  had  even  forbidden  Leicester  to 
accept  any  office  or  title  inconsistent  with  her  previous 
refusal  of  the  sovereignty. 

In  truth,  Leicester  inwardly  hankered  after  this 
forbidden  fruit.  The  States  wanted  a  political  leader 
and  the  earl  wanted  power.  It  was  not  long  before 
their  deputies,  unaware  of  the  prohibition,  —  which 
Leicester  had  carefully  concealed  even  from  his  own 
colleagues,  —  waited  upon  him,  and  made  a  formal 
offer  of  the  position  of  governor-general. 

Leicester  thought  best  to  conceal  his  eagerness 
under  the  cloak  of  a  decent  modesty,  and  therefore 


LEICESTEB   IN    THE  NETHERLANDS.         75 

asked  a  few  days  to  consider.  But  be  was  not  long 
in  signifying  his  willingness  to  accept ;  and  within  a 
fortnight  it  was  all  arranged,  without  even  saying 
"  by  your  leave  "  to  the  queen.  On  the  fourth  of 
February,  1586,  the  new  governor-general  was  inaugu- 
rated with  great  pomp  at  The  Hague. 

The  States,  at  least,  were  entirely  loyal  and  sincere 
in  this.  They  honestly  supposed  that  in  bestowing  so 
much  authority  upon  her  representative  they  were 
doing  what  would  best  please  the  queen.  The  official 
advisers  of  the  earl  and  all  the  Englishmen  there 
considered  the  measure  almost  indispensable  to  the 
security  of  both  countries.  But  Leicester,  who  alone 
knew  the  queen's  express  prohibition,  was  well  aware 
that  he  must  expect  a  storm  the  moment  his  dis- 
obedience should  be  known. 

As  if  to  make  the  matter  worse,  some  weeks  were 
allowed  to  pass  after  the  proposition  had  been  made 
and  accepted  before  her  majesty  was  informed  of  it  at 
all.  And  then  the  news  reached  her  in  some  round- 
about way  —  of  all  ways  the  most  irritating  —  instead 
of  coming  from  the  favorite  himself,  whose  adroit  and 
graceful  pen  ought  to  have  been  prompt  to  own  the 
offense  and  sue  for  the  royal  pardon.  In  truth,  the 
gallant  earl  seems  to  have  been  afraid  to  face  the 
consequences  of  his  act,  and  so  arranged  it  that  Mr. 
Davison  should  go  to  her  majesty  and  state  the  case. 


76  TEE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

Meanwhile,  he  wrote  to  Lord  Burleigh,  begging  his 
friendly  offices  with  the  offended  queen ;  and  protest- 
ing his  entire  devotion  to  her  majesty's  service  in  this 
as  well  as  all  other  acts,  even  to  his  parting  breath. 
Davison  was  delayed  by  adverse  winds,  and  before  he 
arrived  in  England  the  whole  story  was  out. 

The  queen  was  furious.  She  fairly  blazed  with 
passion.  She  stormed  and  swore  so  fearfully  that 
nobody  dared  say  a  word.  Even  the  white-bearded 
Lord  Burleigh  was  told  with  an  oath  to  hold  his 
tongue ;  and  finding  it  useless  to  brave  the  storm,  he 
prudently  went  to  bed  and  waited  for  fair  weather. 
Lord  Walsingham  stayed,  but  the  queen  would  not 
listen  to  anybody,  except  the  mischief-making  ladies 
of  her  court ;  they  told  her  the  most  exasperating 
stories  about  the  Countess  of  Leicester  getting  ready 
to  join  her  husband  abroad,  with  such  a  retinue  of 
lords  and  ladies,  all  so  magnificent,  and  finer  carriages 
and  side-saddles  than  even  her  majesty's  own.  So 
when  Davison  at  last  arrived  with  his  explanations 
and  apologies,  he  found  that  the  indignant  queen  had 
already  commissioned  Sir  Thomas  Heneage  to  proceed 
at  once  to  the  States  and  make  them  undo  all  they 
had  done.  What  provoked  her  more  than  anything 
else  was  the  contempt  with  which  she  conceived  that 
she  had  been  treated  by  the  undutiful  earl  in  his 
venturing  to  accept  the  government  at  all,  his  omitting 


LEICESTER  IN  THE  NETHERLANDS.        77 

to  write,  and  his  delay  in  sending  Davison.  Further- 
more, since  this  step  would  disgrace  her  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world  by  its  inconsistency  with  her  recent 
manifesto,  —  in  which  she  had  disavowed  any  desire  to 
increase  her  own  power  by  taking  up  the  cause  of  the 
Provinces,  —  she  directed  that  Leicester  should  at  once 
publicly  resign  his  new  office  in  the  very  place  where 
he  had  received  it. 

Davison  heard  of  the  state  the  queen  was  in  as 
soon  as  he  arrived ;  but  he  manfully  presented  himself 
at  court.  The  queen  began  by  swearing  and  storming 
tremendously,  but  the  messenger  did  not  quail.  When 
she  stopped  to  take  breath,  he  took  the  opportunity 
to  begin  the  defense.  Though  often  interrupted,  he 
succeeded  in  telling  her  several  things  which  she  ought 
to  have  been  informed  of  long  before.  But  she  would 
not  even  look  at  the  penitent  and  devoted  letter  which 
lier  favorite  had  sent,  until  a  second  interview  had  in 
some  degree  soothed  her  exasperated  feelings.  At 
last  she  was  prevailed  upon  not  to  require  Leicester's 
public  and  immediate  disgrace.  The  earl  professed  to 
be  broken-hearted,  no  less  on  account  of  Elizabeth's 
displeasure  than  on  account  of  his  mortifying  position 
before  the  world.  She  at  last  consented  that  he 
should  retain  the  office ;  but  the  confidence  of  the 
Netherland  people,  both  in  Leicester  and  in  herself, 
was  seriously  damaged.     There  began  to  be  suspicions 


78  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINGE  MAUBICE. 

that  she  was  secretly  negotiating  with  Spain,  and  they 
were  not  wholly  unfounded.  Not  that  she  meant  to 
make  peace  for  England  without  including  the  Prov- 
inces ;  she  had  no  disposition  to  do  that,  had  it  been 
in  her  power. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

MILITARY  MOVEMENTS   OF   PARMA   AND    LEICESTER. 

PARMA  had  now  nearly  all  the  cities  of  Flanders 
and  Brabant  in  his  possession ;  but  tliere  was 
much  work  yet  to  be  done,  and  little  means  with  which 
to  do  it.  Philip  did  not  send  money  to  pay  his 
troops  ;  they  were  few,  sickl}',  and  starving.  Parma 
had  borrowed  of  the  Flemish  merchants  till  they 
would  lend  no  more ;  and  the  territory  of  the 
"obedient"  provinces  was  bare  of  subsistence,  even 
for  its  own  population,  who  were  almost  desperate 
with  famine. 

In  the  midst  of  his  own  embarrassments  there  was 
doubtless  some  small  comfort  for  Parma  in  perceiving 
that  some  of  his  enemies  were  no  better  off.  Queen 
Elizabeth's  troops  in  the  United  Provinces  were  evi- 
dently ah'eady  in  a  shabby  and  forlorn  condition,  for 
she  was  not  prompt  in  furnishing  their  pay.  To  do 
her  justice,  she  was  not  in  easy  circumstances.  It 
has  been  estimated  by  Motley  that  the  entire  revenue 
of  her  government  was  perhaps  equal  to  one  sixtieth 
of  the  annual  interest  on  the  present  national  debt  of 

79 


80  THE  DAYS  OF  FBINCE  MAURICE. 

England.  It  was  doubtless  difficult  to  make  ends 
meet,  however  anxious  she  was  to  do  so. 

The  first  move  which  Alexander  planned  for  the 
campaign  of  1586  was  to  capture  those  cities  which 
the  patriots  still  held,  upon  the  river  Meuse,  and  par- 
ticularly Grave.  If  this  w^ere  accomplished,  Brabant 
would  be  altogether  clear  of  the  rebels,  and  on  its 
most  exposed  side  it  would  be  considerably  protected 
by  the  encircling  Meuse. 

Grave  was  not  a  very  large  city,  but  it  was  strong 
and  had  a  commanding  position  upon  the  river 
Meuse,  nearly  a  hundred  English  miles  northeast 
of  Brussels.  It  was  amply  fortified  on  the  landward 
side,  while,  as  for  the  rest,  the  deep  and  rapid  river 
served  as  a  defense.  Early  in  the  year.  Count 
Mansfeld  had  been  sent  to  lay  siege  to  it.  He 
had  accordingly  proceeded  to  enclose  it  with  a  line 
of  forts,  five  of  which  lay  upon  the  Brabant  side 
of  the  river,  some  above  and  some  below  the  town. 
A  floating  bridge  led  to  a  well-fortified  camp  upon 
the  opposite  shore. 

The  city  had  a  garrison  of  eight  hundred  troops, 
besides  about  a  thousand  burghers  able  to  bear  arms. 
The  commander  was  a  young  nobleman  called  Baron 
Hemart.  There  was  some  slight  skirmishing  outside, 
but  no  strenuous  effort  was  made  to  relieve  the  citv 
until  spring.     By  this  time  it  was  hard  pressed,  for  all 


PABMA  AND  LEICESTEB.  81 

supplies  were  cut  off ;  and  the  Netherlanders  felt  that 
something  must  be  done  at  once.  *■ 

Leicester  sent  a  force  of  three  thousand  men,  com- 
manded by  Count  Hohenlo  and  Sir  John  Norris,  early 
in  April.  They  were  ordered  to  throw  into  the  place 
reinforcements  and  supplies,  at  whatever  risk.  They 
advanced  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Meuse,  on  the 
way  taking  the  castles  of  Batenburg  and  Raven- 
stein.  During  the  night  of  April  15  four  or  five  hun- 
dred English  soldiers  were  sent  to  entrench  them- 
selves upon  the  dike  that  guarded  the  river  bank, 
almost  exactly  opposite  the  city. 

The  next  morning  Count  Mansfeld  observed  his 
new  neighbors  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and 
ordered  out  three  thousand  Spaniards  to  attend  to 
them.  One  thousand  of  these  were  selected  and  sent 
across  the  bridge  to  make  the  assault,  while  the  rest 
were  to  be  held  in  reserve.  It  had  been  raining  hard 
for  some  time,  and  the  river  was  rising  rapidly.  The 
floating  bridge  swayed  back  and  forth  as  the  men 
marched  slowly  and  cautiously  across.  It  was  less 
than  an  English  mile  from  the  end  of  the  bridge  to  the 
entrenchments  they  were  to  assault.  The  Spaniards 
charged  upon  the  run,  without  waiting  for  the  reserve 
to  arrive,  and  being  tired  and  out  of  breath,  were  at 
first  repulsed.  But  fresh  troops  soon  appeared,  and 
at  the  third  onset  they  carried  the  works.     The  few 


82  THE  DATS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

hundreds  of  Englishmen  took  to  flight,  directing  their 
steps  along  the  river  ^ike,  in  hopes  to  meet  their  com- 
rades who  had  encamped  six  miles  below,  and  were 
expected  to  advance  at  dawn.  The  Spaniards  pursued 
them  in  hot  haste  along  the  slippery  dike  for  two 
miles,  when  they  suddenly  came  in  sight  of  the  main 
body  of  the  States'  troops,  under  Hohenlo  and  Nor- 
ris.  The  English  rallied,  and,  facing  about,  drove 
the  Spaniards  back  in  their  turn.  But  before  they 
reached  the  bridge  another  turn  was  given  to  the  for- 
tunes of  the  day  by  the  appearance  of  more  Span- 
iards just  crossing  from  the  Brabant  side. 

The  frail  bridge  trembled  and  wavered  under  the 
hurrying  tread  of  the  Spanish  troops,  but  presently 
both  armies,  each  now  numbering  about  three  thou- 
sand, stood  facing  each  other  upon  the  right  bank.  It 
was  raining  hard,  the  wind  blew  a  gale,  and  the 
swollen  river  foamed  and  raged  almost  at  their  feet. 
For  a  moment  both  armies  stood  still  upon  the  slip- 
pery causeway,  and  looked  each  other  in  the  face  ; 
then  they  plunged  into  the  deadly  strife,  fighting  hand 
to  hand  and  foot  to  foot.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  the 
battle  raged.  Every  inch  of  the  narrow  dike  which 
was  the  scene  of  this  furious  struggle  was  trampled 
by  the  densel^^-crowded  thousands  wrestling  there ; 
every  footprint  was  red  with  blood.  The  Netherland 
leaders  were  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  braver  than 


PAR  MA  AND  LEICESTER.  83 

the  bravest.  But  at  last  the  fury  of  the  still-increas- 
ing storm  became  too  much  for  mortal  strength  to 
endure.  The  Spaniards  dreaded  every  moment 
to  see  their  frail  bridge  give  wa}',  and  at  length 
retreated. 

The  lowlands  around  Grave  were  so  extensively 
submerged  by  the  flood  that  boats  could  sail  almost 
anywhere.  In  spite  of  the  besiegers,  the  city  was 
reinforced  within  a  few  days  by  five  hundred  men  and 
provisions  for  a  whole  year.  To  the  Netherlanders  it 
now  seemed  out  of  the  question  for  it  to  be  reduced  ; 
and  so  long  as  the  States  held  it  they  were  sure  to 
control  the  river.  Leicester  was  excessively  proud  of 
this  success,  though  he  had  little  enough  to  do  with 
it,  and  he  seemed  to  regard  it  as  almost  the  winding 
up  of  the  war.  There  was  much  banqueting  and 
speech-making  in  Amsterdam  and  Utrecht ;  and  the 
governor-general  indulged  in  the  most  sanguine  hopes 
of  recovering  Antwerp  and  extinguishing  Parma 
altogether. 

But  Alexander  was  not  to  be  extinguished  so  easily. 
Instead  of  ordering  Mansfeld  to  raise  the  siege,  he 
came  in  person  to  his  camp  before  Grave  and  began 
to  "  batter  it  like  a  prince,"  as  Lord  North  admiringly 
observed  in  writing  to  Burleigh.  On  the  seventh  of 
June  Parma  marched  into  Grave.  Strong  and  well 
supplied  as  it  was,  the  young  commander  had  basely 


84  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

surrendered  it  to  please  a  woman.  Megen  and  Baten- 
burg  gave  up  the  same  day,  and  Venlo,  an  important 
place  thirty  miles  above,  was  taken  shortly  after. 
Parma  had  now  got  control  of  every  town  upon  the 
Meuse,  and  there  was  nothing  to  prevent  his  beginning 
a  similar  campaign  along  the  Rhine. 

Leicester's  brilliant  anticipations  of  soon  clearing 
out  the  Spaniards  were  not  likely  to  be  realized  at 
once.  He  had  taken  the  field  with  a  considerable 
force,  but  before  he  had  done  anything  of  any  conse- 
quence he  heard  of  the  surrender  of  Grave.  He 
indignantly  declared  that  even  women  might  have 
held  out  in  a  town  like  that,  and  straightway  sum- 
moned a  court-martial.  The  young  Baron  Hemart 
was  tried  and  sentenced  to  death.  The  culprit  repre- 
sented that  it  was  through  the  tears  and  entreaties  of 
the  terrified  women  of  Grave  that  he  had  been  induced 
to  surrender  —  which  was  of  course  the  best  face  that 
could  be  put  upon  the  act.  Had  the  statement  been 
true,  it  would  have  showed  that  Grave  was  inhabited 
by  women  very  unlike  those  of  Maestricht  and  Har- 
lem. But  the  blame  belonged  to  one  woman  only. 
She  was  of  good  family,  but  inclined  to  the  Spanish 
side ;  and  so  the  States  lost  this  important  post  and 
the  young  Baron  Hemart  lost  his  head. 

Parma  next  proceeded  to  besiege  Neusz,  upon  the 
Rhine.     It  was  a  very  strong  city,  twenty  miles  below 


FAIi31A  AND  LEICESTER.  85 

Cologne,  and  was  not  only  well  provisioned  but  w^as 
commanded  by  a  young  officer  of  "  extraordinary 
capacity  and  valor  though  but  a  boy,"  to  quote 
Parma's  own  words.  "Within  a  month,  after  much 
desperate  fighting,  the  town  was  stormed.  The 
wounded  commander  was  dragged  from  his  couch  and 
from  the  arms  of  his  lovely  and  devoted  wife,  to  be 
hanged  at  his  own  window.  A  Calvinist  clergyman 
and  his  deacons,  together  with  "fifty  other  rascals" 
—  as  Parma  put  it  —  were  hanged  at  the  same  time. 
Most  of  the  town  was  burned,  and  four  thousand 
of  the  citizens  were  put  to  the  sword.  "  My  little 
soldiers  were  not  to  be  restrained,"  wrote  Parma  to 
the  king.  To  do  him  justice,  he  was  not  in  the  habit 
of  allowing  them  to  commit  such  atrocities,  as  some 
of  his  predecessors  had  made  a  point  of  doing. 

Leicester  had  twice  mustered  a  force  of  four  thou- 
sand troops  to  raise  this  siege,  but  both  times  he  had 
been  forced  to  abandon  the  attempt  for  want  of  funds, 
which  the  queen  was  always  slow  to  furnish  and  the 
States  were  now  too  distrustful  to  place  in  his  hands. 
He  had  freely  lavished  his  private  resources  till  neither 
ready  money  nor  plate  remained. 

Parma  now  proceeded  to  Rheinbei'g,  twenty-five 
miles  below.  In  order  to  divert  Parma  from  Rhein- 
berg,  as  well  as  to  recover  a  position  of  much  impor- 
tance, Leicester  now  resolved  to  lay  siege  to  Zutnhen. 


86  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBIGE. 

There  had  been  one  encouraging  success  to  the  patriots 
during  the  siege  of  Nuesz.  Sir  Philip  Sidney  and  the 
young  Prince  Maurice  of  Nassau  had  surprised  and 
captured  Axel,  a  strongly  fortified  and  important 
town  on  the  border  of  the  great  tide  inlet  connected 
with  the  West  Scheldt.  The  scheme  was  of  Prince 
Maurice's  own  contriving,  but  the  hearty  cooperation 
of  the  gallant  Sidney  did  much  to  ensure  its  success. 
Having  placed  a  garrison  in  the  town,  the  victors 
broke  the  dikes  and  thus  laid  under  salt  water  a  vast 
amount  of  standing  grain  and  other  property  belong- 
ing to  the  obedient  provinces.  This  was  the  first 
military  exploit  of  the  studious,  hard-working  youth 
who  was  soon  to  be  ranked  as  the  greatest  general  of 
his  time.  Young  Cecil  wrote  to  his  father  :  "  It  hath 
made  us  somewhat  to  lift  up  our  heads." 

Early  in  September,  having  taken  the  neighboring 
town  of  Doesburg,  Leicester  proceeded  to  invest  Zut- 
phen  itself.  This  city  stands  upon  the  right  bank  of 
the  Yssel,  which  here  flows  nearly  north.  The  sur- 
rounding country  is  level  and  low,  so  that  parts  of  it 
are  usually  inundated  in  winter,  though  in  summer  it 
is  a  well-tilled  and  productive  region.  Zutpben  had 
been  in  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  ever  since  the 
memorable  siege  and  massacre  of  1572,  when,  to  save 
time  and  trouble,  they  tied  five  hundred  of  the 
burghers  in  pairs,  back  to  back,  and  drowned  them 


PABMA  AND  LEIGESTEB.  87 

like  dogs.  To  recover  it  would  be  to  secure  entire 
control  of  that  river,  since  Deventer  and  Kampeu 
were  theirs  alread}'.  This  was  doubly  important 
since  Parma  had  driven  them  from  the  Meuse  and 
was  likely  to  drive  them  also  from  the  Rhine.  The 
city  had  a  good  wall  and  moat  on  the  landward  side, 
as  well  as  an  external  fortress,  and  the  river  protected 
it  on  the  west.  There  was  an  island  opposite  which 
was  well  fortified,  and  on  the  farther  shore,  in  what 
was  called  the  Bad  Meadows,  were  three  Spanish 
forts. 

Leicester  established  his  own  quarters  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river  over  which  he  had  laid  a  bridge  of 
boats  ;  he  stationed  Sir  John  Norris  on  Gibbet  Hill,  a 
rising  ground  near  the  city.  His  forces  amounted  to 
something  like  six  or  seven  thousand  foot  and  two 
thousand  horse.  Of  the  infantry,  about  five  thou- 
sand were  Englishmen  ;  and  numbers  of  brave  knights 
and  nobles  who  had  come  over  in  Lord  Leicester's 
train  were  now  with  him  in  camp  as  volunteers. 

No  sooner  did  Parma  get  news  of  what  was  going 
on  at  Zutphen  than  he  broke  up  his  camp  at  Rhein- 
berg,  just  as  Leicester  had  expected.  But  he  still 
maintained  a  partial  blockade  of  that  city  by  building 
a  bridge  over  the  Rhine  at  Wesel,  a  few  miles  below, 
and  leaving  a  small  force  there  to  keep  the  river 
closed.     With  the   remainder  of  his  troops  he  went 


88  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  3£AUBICE. 

on  toward  Zutphen,  which  is  some  fifty  or  sixty  miles 
from  Rheinberg  to  the  northwest. 

Zutphen  was  not  yet  so  closely  invested  but  that 
Alexander  was  able  to  give  it  a  sufficient  garrison. 
He  even  entered  the  city  himself,  one  night,  in  order 
to  encourage  his  forces  there,  as  well  as  to  learn  more 
of  the  situation.  There  was  urgent  need  of  supplies 
in  order  to  be  able  to  sustain  a  long  siege  ;  and  Parma 
at  once  arranged  to  send  enough  to  feed  four  thousand 
for  three  months.  These  were  to  be  dispatched  from 
his  headquarters,  a  dozen  miles  east  of  Zutphen,  on 
the  night  of  Thursday,  October  2.  It  was  intended 
that  the  convoy  should  arrive  at  a  certain  point  a 
mile  or  two  from  the  city  just  before  light ;  and 
then  word  was  to  be  sent  to  Verdugo,  commander 
of  the  garrison,  who  would  come  out  with  a  strong 
force  and  bring  the  convoy  safely  through  the  enemy's 
lines. 

Doubtless  this  was  very  well  planned ;  but  it  did 
not  turn  out  just  as  Parma  wished.  He  had  sent 
a  trooper  to  tell  Verdugo  that  the  provision  train  was 
coming ;  but  the  trooper  had  fallen  into  the  enemy's 
hands,  and  Leicester  had  found  out  the  whole  plan  in 
time  to  make  a  few  arrangements  of  his  own. 

On  the  road  by  which  the  convoy  was  to  approach, 
about  an  English  mile  from  the  eastern  gate,  there 
was  a  little  country  church  with  a  cluster  of  cottages 


PABMA  AND  LEIGESTEB.  89 

arouud  it  called  Wanisfield.  Before  five  iu  the  morn- 
ing Sir  John  Norris  with  two  hundred  horsemen 
silently  placed  themselves  in  ambuscade  near  Warns- 
field  church.  Three  hundred  pikeraeu  were  with  them, 
and  a  large  force  was  in  reserve,  should  it  be  needed, 
which,  however,  they  did  not  expect.  A  heavy  fog 
covered  the  lowlands  that  morning.  So  dense  was  it 
that  one  could  scarcely  see  any  object  beyond  reach. 
Already  they  could  faintly  hear  at  a  distance  the  sound 
of  the  slowly-approaching  convoy,  when  Leicester  him- 
self rode  up  with  a  little  baud  of  his  young  noblemen 
and  their  attendants  —  some  fifty  in  all  —  who  would 
not  be  left  behind. 

The  slow  creaking  wheels  of  the  wagons  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  the  tramp  of  the  soldiers  was  now 
distinctly  heard,  but  the  men  lying  in  wait  could  as 
yet  see  nothing.  At  this  moment  the  fog  suddenly 
lifted,  and  in  the  broad  daylight  the  five  hundred 
Englishmen  suddenly  found  they  had  three  thousand 
to  fight.  The  long  line  of  wagons  was  guarded  on 
each  side  by  dense  columns  of  pikemeu  and  musket- 
eers. It  was  headed  by  a  strong  force  of  arquebusiers 
and  cavalry  under  famous  leaders.  And  furthermore 
Verdugo  was  presently  coming  out  from  the  city  to 
help  them  in. 

The  young  earl  of  Essex,  at  the  head  of  a  hundred 
troopers,  dashed  into  the  enemy's  cavalry  and  drove 


90  THE  DAYS   OF  PlilNCE  MAURICE. 

them  back  upon  the  musketeers  and  pikemen.  Then 
adroitly  wheeling,  while  a  volley  of  balls  whistled 
around  them,  they  formed  and  charged  the  second 
time.  Many  horses  and  some  of  the  gallant  riders 
rolled  in  the  dust,  but  the  little  troop  would  not  give 
way.  The  more  unequal  the  strife,  the  more  the 
Englishmen  held  on. 

The  fight  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half,  the  English- 
men, from  highest  to  lowest,  behaving  like  heroes. 
Again  and  again  they  seized  the  horses  of  the  convoy 
but  could  not  get  possession  of  the  train.  Foot  by 
foot  it  made  its  way  toward  the  town ;  and  presently 
two  thousand  Spaniards  sallied  from  the  eastern  gate. 
The  patriot  forces,  whose  reserve  had  failed  to  arrive, 
were  compelled  to  give  way.  In  the  course  of  that 
day  and  days  following  the  city  was  fully  supplied. 
For  many  years  both  Netherlanders  and  Spaniards  had 
no  stronger  expression  to  use  in  describing  any  desper- 
ate action  than  to  say  that  it  was  as  hot  as  the  fight 
at  Zutphen. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


SIR   PHILIP   SIDNEY. 


ON  that  fatal  morning  at  Zutpheu  the  brave 
young  Sidney  fell.  His  name,  already  illus- 
trious and  beloved  in  England,  has  ever  since  been 
dear  in  all  lands  that  have  heard  it.  That  noble  and 
beautiful  life,  crowned  as  it  was  by  a  heroic  and 
Christian  death,  thrills  one  like  some  rare  old  poem, 
perfect,  though  all  too  brief. 

Among  the  gallant  knights  of  Henry  VIII  there 
had  been  one  Sir  William  de  Sidney  who  distin- 
guished himself  on  the  field  of  Flodden  and  after- 
wards became  the  tutor  and  chamberlain  of  the  young 
Edward  VI.  During  the  brief  reign  of  the  boy  king 
he  gave  Sidney  the  castle  of  Penshurst,  an  ancient 
baronial  mansion  in  the  county  of  Kent.  Henry 
Sidney,  the  son  of  Sir  William,  was  the  intimate 
friend  of  P^dward  VI  and  was  a  noted  statesman  in 
the  succeeding  reign.  He  married  Lady  Mary  Dud- 
ley, daughter  of  that  earl  of  Northumberland  who 
attempted  to  place  Lady  Jane  Grey,  his  daughter- 
in-law,  upon  the  throne.  Sir  Philip,  the  eldest  son, 
was  born   at  Penshurst  in   1554.     Queen  Mary  gave 

91 


92  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

him  the  name  of  her  royal  consort,  Philip  of  Spain, 
whom,  fortunately,  he  resembled  in  nothing  else. 
The  beautiful  boy,  "wise  of  heart  beyond  his 
childish  years,"  yet  gladsome  and  loving,  frank 
and  true,  grew  up  in  the  stately  old  halls  of 
Penshurst,  carefully  and  tenderly  reared  by  his  ex- 
cellent parents.  There  still  remains  a  letter  written 
by  his  father  when  this  cherished  son  was  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  from  which  the  following  pas- 
sages  are  quoted :  — 

I  have  received  two  letters  from  you  —  one  in  Latin,  the  other 
in  French  —  which  I  take  in  good  part,  and  will  you  to  exercise 
that  practice  of  learning  often.  .  .  .  And  since  this  is  the  first 
letter  that  ever  I  did  write  to  you,  I  will  not  that  it  be  empty  of 
all  advices.  .  .  .  Let  your  first  action  of  the  day  be  the  lifting  up 
of  your  mind  to  Almighty  God  by  hearty  prayer,  with  continual 
thinking  of  Him  to  whom  you  pray,  and  of  the  matter  for  which 
you  pray.  .  .  .  Apply  your  study  to  such  hours  as  your  discreet 
master  doth  assign  you,  earnestly;  and  the  time  I  know  he  will 
so  limit  as  shall  be  both  sufficient  for  your  learning  and  safe  for 
your  health.  Be  humble  and  obedient  to  your  master,  for  unless 
you  frame  yourself  to  obey  others,  yea,  and  feel  In  yourself  what 
obedience  is,  you  shall  never  be  able  to  teach  others  how  to  obey 
you.  Be  courteous  of  gesture,  and  atfable  to  all  men,  with  diver- 
sity of  reverence,  according  to  the  dignity  of  the  person.  There 
is  nothing  that  winneth  so  much  with  so  little  cost.  .  .  .  Let  your 
mirth  be  ever  void  of  all  scurrility,  and  biting  words  to  any  man; 
for  a  wound  given  by  a  word  is  oftentimes  harder  to  be  cured 
than  that  given  by  the  sword.  .  .  .  Above  all  things,  tell  no  un- 
truth, even  in  trifles ;  .  .  .  there  cannot  be  a  greater  reproach  to 


SIB   PHILIP  SIDNEY.  93 

a  gentleman  than  to  l)e  accounted  a  liar.  Study  and  endeavor 
yourself  to  be  virtuously  occupied.  So  shall  you  make  such  an 
habit  of  well-doing  in  you,  that  you  shall  not  know  how  to  do 
evil. 

All  that  the  fond  father  hoped  was  fulfilled  in  the 
manhood  of  the  noble  son.  After  some  time  spent 
in  the  university,  he  v^^as  for  three  years  on  the  con- 
tinent, visiting  what  was  best  worthy  to  be  seen,  and 
meanwhile  devoting  liimself  with  ardor  to  liis  studies. 
On  his  return,  his  uncle  the  earl  of  Leicester  pre- 
sented him  at  the  English  court.  He  was  tall  and 
stately  in  figure,  with  handsome  features,  rich  auburn 
hair,  and  deep  blue  eyes  full  of  feeling  and  thought. 
The  queen  at  once  recognized  his  superior  abilities, 
as  well  as  the  charm  of  his  presence ;  and  in  token 
of  her  regard,  she  appointed  him  her  cupbearer. 
He  bore  a  part  in  the  stately  ceremonies  of  the 
queen's  visit  to  Keuilworth  ;  but  she  was  reluctant  to 
give  him  the  arduous  and  responsible  duties  abroad 
for  which  he  longed,  because  "  she  feared  to  lose  the 
jewel  of  her  times." 

In  1576,  however,  he  was  sent  on  a  special  embassy 
to  Vienna,  ostensibly  to  felicitate  Rodolph  II  on  his 
accession  to  the  imperial  throne ;  but  in  reality  to 
bring  about  an  alliance  between  England  and  the 
various  Protestant  states  of  Germany  against  the 
Catholic   powers.     He    made    many  friends,   and    his 


94  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINGE  MAURICE. 

able  and  acceptable  services  won  the  highest  praise. 
Returning  in  1577,  through  the  Netherlands,  he  met 
the  great  William  of  Orange,  who  pronounced  him 
"  one  of  the  ripest  and  greatest  counselors  of  the 
day,  in  Europe "  ;  and  for  years  corresponded  with 
him  on  public  affairs. 

It  was  when  Sidney  had  been  only  three  years  at 
court  that  the  queen  desired  his  opinion  as  to  the 
proposed  marriage  with  the  duke  of  Anjou.  This 
high  compliment  to  his  judgment  did  not  beguile  him 
into  giving  the  approval  which  he  knew  she  would 
like  to  receive.  He  had  the  courage  and  sincerity  to 
tell  her  majesty  what  he  really  tliought  and  why  — 
a  thing  which  her  council  had  not  ventured  to  do. 
A  remonstrance  so  daring  might  have  been  the  ruin 
of  all  his  future  prospects,  as  Sidney  well  knew.  But 
the  queen's  judgment  was  too  deeply  impressed  by 
his  arguments  to  permit  her  to  go  on. 

It  was  while  residing  with  his  sister,  the  countess 
of  Pembroke,  that  Sidney  wrote  his  famous  romance, 
the  Arcadia.  His  poetical  gifts  were  already  known, 
and  in  1581  he  published  his  Apologie  for  Poesie. 
This  work  has  been  pronounced  the  most  finished 
prose  production  of  that  period,  and  the  earliest 
critical  work  of  merit  in  the  English  language. 

As  the  governor  of  Flushing  he  was  most  efficient 
and  self-sacrificing.     He  was  quick  to  discern  abuses 


SIB   PHILIP  SIDNEY.  95 

and  fearless  in  telling  the  truth  to  the  government  at 
home.  "  If  the  queen  pay  not  her  soldiers,"  he  wrote 
to  Secretary  Walsingham,  "  she  must  lose  her  garri- 
sons ;  there  is  no  doubt  thereof ;  but  no  man  living 
shall  be  able  to  say  the  fault  is  in  me.  What  I'elief 
I  can  do  them,  I  will.  I  will  spare  no  danger  if 
occasion  serve.  I  am  sure  no  creature  shall  be  able 
to  lay  injustice  to  my  charge  ;  and  for  further  doubts, 
truly,  I  stand  not  upon  them." 

Sidney  plunged  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at 
Zutphen,  and  two  horses  having  been  shot  under  him, 
he  had  mounted  a  third,  when  the  fatal  moment  came. 
Ashe  was  dashing  forward  to  rescue  Lord  Willoughby, 
then  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  he  received  a  musket 
ball  a  little  above  the  left  knee.  The  thigh  bone  was 
shattered  and  the  flesh  torn  far  up  the  leg.  Faint 
with  loss  of  blood,  he  was  borne  from  the  field. 
They  brought  water  —  doubtless  with  no  small  risk 
and  in  scanty  supply  —  to  allay  his  burning  thirst. 
Just  as  he  was  about  to  drink  he  saw  the  longing  eyes 
of  a  dying  soldier  fixed  on  the  precious  cup.  "Thy 
necessity  is  greater  than  mine,"  said  the  noble  sufferer, 
at  once  sending  to  him  the  untasted  draught.  This 
sweet  and  beautiful  act  was  just  like  himself.  Its 
memory  will  be  fragrant  and  dear  as  long  as  Sidney's 
name  is  known. 

"This   young    man,"    wrote    Leicester,   "was    my 


96  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINGE,  MAURICE. 

greatest  comfort,  next  her  nmjesty,  of  all  the  world ; 
and  if  I  could  buy  his  life  with  all  I  have,  I  would 
give  it.  How  God  will  dispose  of  him  I  know  not, 
but  I  must  needs  fear  greatly  the  worst,  the  blow 
being  in  so  dangerous  a  place  and  so  great ;  yet  never 
did  I  hear  of  any  man  that  did  abide  the  dressing  and 
setting  of  his  bones  better  than  he  did.  And  he  was 
carried  afterwards  in  my  barge  to  Arnheim,  and  I 
hear  this  day  that  he  is  still  of  good  heart  and  com- 
forteth  all  about  him  as  much  as  may  be.  God  of  his 
mercy  grant  me  his  life  !  " 

Lady  Sidney  and  other  friends  gave  him  the  most 
devoted  care,  and  all  that  the  imperfect  surgery  of 
those  days  knew  how  to  do  was  done.  In  the  Low 
Countries,  as  well  as  in  England,  the  most  intense 
and  affectionate  anxiety  was  felt.  Through  all  the 
sixteen  days  of  anguish  the  sufferer  was  patient  and 
serene.  Fully  aware  of  his  condition,  he  dictated  his 
will  with  minute  remembrance  of  all  his  friends  and 
sei-vants,  wrote  a  long  letter  in  pure  and  elegant 
Latin  to  an  eminent  divine,  and  spoke  much  and  with 
power  upon  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 

There  is  still  extant  in  the  British  Museum  a  touch- 
ing little  sketch  of  those  last  days,  written  by  his 
chaplain,  from  which  we  quote  a  few  passages.  '-  The 
night  before  he  died,"  wrote  the  chaplain,  "I  said: 
'  I  trust  you  are   well   aud    thoroughly  prepared   for 


SIB  PHILIP  SIDNEY.  97 

death,  if  God  shall  call  you.'  At  this  he  made  a  little 
pause  aud  then  he  answered  :  '  I  have  a  doubt ;  pray 
resolve  me  in  it.  I  have  not  slept  this  night ;  I  have 
very  earnestly  and  humbly  besought  the  Lord  to  give 
me  some  sleep ;  he  hath  denied  it ;  this  eauseth  me  to 
doubt  that  God  doth  not  regard  me  nor  hear  any  of 
my  prayers — this  doth  trouble  me.'  Answer  was 
made  that  for  matters  touching  salvation  or  pardon 
of  our  sins  through  Christ  he  gave  an  absolute  prom- 
ise, but  for  things  concerning  this  life  God  hath 
promised  them  but  with  caution;  that  which  he  hath 
absolutely  promised  we  may  assuredly  look  to  receive, 
craving  it  in  faith.  '  I  am  full}-  satisfied,'  said  he. 
'  No  doubt  it  is  even  so  ;  then  I  will  submit  myself  to 
his  will  in  these  outward  things.'  .  .  .  Within  a  few 
hours  after  I  told  him  that  I  thought  that  his  death 
did  approach,  which  indeed  he  well  perceived,  and  for 
which  he  prepared  himself.  .  .  .  Not  long  after,  he 
lifted  up  his  eyes  and  hands,  uttering  these  words : 
'  I  would  not  change  my  joy  for  the  empire  of  the 
world  ! '  For  the  nearer  he  saw  death  to  approach 
the  more  his  comfort  seemed  to  increase.  His  former 
virtues  seemed  to  be  nothing,  for  he  wholly  condemned 
his  former  life.  '  All  things  in  it,'  said  he,  '  have 
been  vain,  vain,  vain  ! ' 

"  It  now  seemed  as  if  all  heat  and  life  were  gone 
out  of  him,  that  his  understanding  had  failed,   and 


98  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

that  it  was  to  no  purpose  to  speak  any  more  unto  him. 
But  it  was  far  otherwise.  I  spake  thus  unto  him : 
'  Sir,  if  you  hear  what  I  say,  let  us  by  some  means 
know  it,  and  if  you  have  still  your  inward  joy  and 
consolation  in  God,  hold  up  your  hand.'  With  that 
he  did  lift  up  his  hand  and  stretched  it  forth  on  high, 
which  we  thought  he  could  scarce  have  moved.  After 
this,  that  we  might  see  his  heart  still  prayed,  he  raised 
both  his  hands  and  set  them  together  on  his  breast, 
after  the  manner  of  those  who  make  humble  petitions, 
and  so  his  bauds  did  remain,  and  even  so  stiff  that 
they  would  have  continued  standing  but  that  we  took 
them  the  one  from  the  other." 

So,  amid  the  loving  ministries  and  tender  tears  of 
friends,  while  inwardly  praying,  and  soothed  by  the 
soft  music  which  he  loved,  the  trusting  and  heroic  soul 
departed,  on  the  seventeenth  of  October,  1586. 

The  United  Provinces  mourned  with  a  profound  and 
tender  sorrow.  They  entreated  the  privilege  of  bury- 
ing the  young  hero  in  the  land  which  he  had  given  his 
life  to  save.  They  promised  to  raise  for  him  "  as  fair 
a  monument  as  had  any  prince  in  Europe."  But 
England  could  not  permit  the  dust  of  her  favorite  son 
to  sleep  on  a  foreign  shore,  and  the  queen  herself 
assumed  the  expense  of  a  magnificent  funeral.  The 
body,  after  long  lying  in  state  at  Aldgate,  was  en- 
tombed with  royal  pomp  in  Saint  Paul's.     The  nobility 


SIB  PHILIP  SIDNEY.  99 

all  went  into  raonrniug  —  the  first  time  this  honor  had 
been  paid  to  any  private  individual.  Du  Plessis  said 
to  Lord  Walsingham  :  "  I  bewail  his  loss,  not  for  Eng- 
land only,  but  for  all  Christendom."  Even  Philip  II 
remarked  :  "  England  has  lost  in  one  moment  what  she 
may  not  produce  in  an  age." 

The   poet   Spenser  commemorated   his  friend   in  a 
poem  from  which  the  following  lines  are  quoted :  — 

A  king  gave  thee  thy  name;  a  kingly  mind 

That  God  thee  gave,  who  found  it  now  too  dear 

For  this  base  world,  and  hath  resumed  it  near 

To  sit  In  skies,  and  sort  with  powers  divine. 

Kent  thy  birthdays,  and  Oxford  held  thy  youth. 

The  heavens  made  haste,  nor  stayed  nor  years  nor  time; 

The  fruits  of  age  grew  ripe  in  thy  first  prime, 

Thy  will,  thy  words;  thy  words  the  seals  of  truth. 

Great  gifts  and  wisdom  rare  employed  thee  thence 

To  treat  from  kings  with  those  more  great  than  kings; 

Such  hope  men  had  to  lay  the  highest  things 

On  thy  wise  youth,  to  be  transpoi'ted  thence  I 


"What  hath  he  lost  that  such  great  grace  hath  won? 
Young  years  for  endless  years,  and  hope  unsure 
Of  fortune's  gifts,  for  wealth  that  still  shall  dure; 
O  happy  race  with  so  great  praises  run! 


CHAPTER   IX. 


TREASONS    AND   TROUBLES. 


A  FEW  weeks  after  the  fight  at  Zutphen,  Leices- 
ter informed  the  State  Council  that  he  intended 
soon  to  go  to  England,  in  order  to  attend  the  session 
of  parliament.  Though  this  was  altogether  unex- 
pected, the  Council  took  it  calmly,  and  did  not  go  upon 
their  knees  to  beg  the  earl  to  reconsider  a  resolution 
so  alarming.  Councilor  Wilkes,  one  of  the  two  Eng- 
lish members,  noted  that  "  the  States  used  but  slender 
entreaty  to  his  excellency  for  his  stay  and  counte- 
nance there  among  them,  whereat  his  excellency,  and 
we  that  were  of  the  council  for  her  majesty,  did  not 
a  little  marvel." 

Perhaps  it  was  rather  surprising,  considering  that 
not  a  year  before  Lord  Leicester  had  been  hailed 
almost  "  as  a  Messiah."  Rut  for  several  months  it 
had  been  evident  that  he  was  growing  more  unpopular 
every  day.  What  began  it  was  the  queen's  excessive 
displeasure  at  his  having  been  appointed  governor- 
general.  The  States  wanted  to  resume,  so  far  as  they 
could,  the  authority  so  mistakenly  bestowed ;  partly 
from  fear  of  offending  the  capricious  queen,  and  still 

100 


TREASONS  AND    TROUBLES.  101 

more  from  a  positive  distrust  of  Leicester.  This  was 
an  awkward  business  on  both  sides.  It  was  inevitable 
that  endless  jealousies  and  quarrels  should  grow  out 
of  it. 

In  truth,  Leicester's  administration  had  not  been 
very  successful,  either  in  military  or  civil  matters. 
Certainly  it  was  not  altogether  his  own  fault  that  lie 
had  accomplished  so  little  in  the  field,  but  he  had  to 
bear  the  blame.  Then  he  had  exasperated  the  Neth- 
erland  merchants  by  financial  measures  which  they 
considered  damaging  to  the  national  prosperity  as 
well  as  to  tlieir  personal  interests.  His  confidential 
partisans  were  regarded  as  unscrupulous  adventurers 
by  the  opposition,  and  they  called  the  others  selfish 
and  greedy  seekers  after  gain. 

Leicester  was  a  Calvinist,  like  most  of  the  people 
of  the  United  Provinces  ;  but,  unlike  the  greatest  and 
wisest  of  the  Netherlanders,  he  was  not  willing  to 
tolerate  good  citizens  who  were  still  Catholics,  and 
was  wont  to  denounce  those  who  did.  This  was 
another  cause  of  disagreement  and  alienation.  Paul 
Buys,  one  of  the  prominent  statesmen  of  the  Prov- 
inces, was  greatly  obnoxious  to  the  earl,  who  made 
no  secret  of  his  dislike.  In  writing  to  Lord  Bur- 
leigh about  having  executed  Baron  Hemart,  he 
added  significantly:  "And  you  shall  hear  that  Mr. 
p.  B.  shall  follow."     Some  time  in  the  course   of   the 


102  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

summer  this  vexatious  Hollander  was  arrested  iu  his 
bed  by  a  party  of  armed  men,  and  people  naturally  felt 
sure  that  Leicester  was  at  the  bottom  of  it,  in  spite  of 
his  denials.  "  Mr.  P.  B."  was  kept  in  prison  for  six 
mouths  without  being  tried  or  even  accused  ;  but  was 
finally  released  at  the  request  of  Elizabeth  herself. 

Leicester  had  also  a  chronic  and  most  vehement 
quarrel  with  Sir  Johu  Norris,  and  with  the  brother, 
and  uncle  of  Sir  John.  It  grew  to  such  a  pitch  that 
at  last  no  one  country  could  hold  them  all  in  peace. 
Indeed,  his  lordship  was  evidently  addicted  to  falling 
out  with  people,  and  when  he  had  an  unpleasantness 
it  was  not  likely  soon  to  be  gotten  over. 

The  leave-taking  between  the  earl  and  the  States, 
however,  was  outwardly  decorous  and  polite.  He  did 
not  resign,  neither  did  he  promise  a  speedy  return,  if 
any  return  at  all.  The  whole  administration,  both 
civil  and  military,  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  State 
Council,  whose  decrees  were  to  be  issued  in  the  name 
of  his  excellency  and  countersigned  by  Count  Maurice. 
The  States  presented  him  with  a  magnificent  silver 
gilt  vase,  "  as  tall  as  a  man,"  as  a  parting  gift;  and 
about  the  last  of  November  he  sailed  for  England. 

The  queen  received  her  favorite  most  graciously,  for 
the  tempest  of  royal  wrath  had  blown  over  long 
before  ;  and  now  she  was  almost  as  impatient  of  the 
limitations    placed   upon  Leicester's   authority  as  she 


TBEA80NS  AND    TROUBLES.  103 

had  been  indignant  at  his  having  dared  to  accept  it  at 
all.  The  whole  aflfair,  in  its  vehemence,  its  unreason- 
ableness, and  its  speedy  subsidence,  was  more  like  a 
lover's  quarrel  than  anything  else.  "  Never  since  I 
was  born,"  wrote  Leicester  to  Wilkes,  "  did  I  receive 
a  more  gracious  welcome."  The  queen  was  really 
fond  of  "  Rob,"  as  she  sometimes  called  him  in  her 
letters.  In  the  previous  July  she  had  ended  a  busi- 
ness letter,  written  with  her  own  hand,  in  the  following 
affectionate  style :  — 

Now  will  I  end,  that  do  imagine  I  talk   still  with  you,  and 

loathly  say  farewell  one  hundred  thousand  times;  though  ever  I 

pray  God  bless  you   from  all  harm,  and  save  you  from  all  foes. 

With  my  million  and  legion  of  thanks  for  all  your  pains  and  cares, 

As  you  know  ever  the  same, 

E.R. 

But   while    he   was    comfortably    reposing    himself 

"  under  the  shadow  of  those  blessed  beams"  of  royal 

favor  for  which  he  had   long  pined,    matters   in  the 

United  Provinces  were  not  going  on  as  well  as  could 

be  desired.     While  the  State  Council  was  supposed  to 

govern  in  the  absence  of  the  governor-general,  it  was 

really  only  a  board  of  consultation,  having  no  power 

to  enact  decrees  of  its  own.     As  to  military  matters, 

the  English  forces  were  nominally  under  the  command 

of  Sir  John  Norris,  and  the  Dutch  and  German  troops 

under  that  of  Count  Hoheulo.     But  as  Leicester  was 

on  bad  terms  with  both,  as    well   as   with  the  state 


104  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBIGE. 

councilors,  he  had  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  signed 
a  secret  document  forbidding  the  latter  to  revoke  any 
military  or  naval  commissions,  or  to  remove  any  com- 
manding officers  of  towns  or  forts,  without  special 
leave  from  himself. 

This  restriction  unfortunately  tied  the  hands  of  the 
administration  in  regard  to  a  matter  of  great  conse- 
quence which  presently  came  up.  Grave  suspicions 
were  afloat  respecting  the  loyalty  of  two  English  offi- 
cers in  command  of  important  posts.  Sir  William 
Stanley,  commander  at  Deventer,  was  known  to  be  a 
zealous  papist,  and  the  burghers  had  become  distrust- 
ful of  his  intentions  as  well  as  discontented  with  his 
rather  despotic  management.  Rowland  York,  who  was 
in  charge  of  the  great  fort  opposite  Zutphen,  was  said 
to  be  on  such  intimate  terms  with  Colonel  Tassis,  the 
Spanish  commander  in  the  city  itself,  that  it  would  not 
be  surprising  if  he  should  present  Tassis  with  the  fort 
almost  any  day.  York  had  fought  under  the  Spanish 
flag  before  this,  time  and  again,  and  had  always 
possessed  a  decided  facility  for  changing  sides  upon 
occasion.  The  effect  of  the  secret  paper  was  to  ren- 
der these  commanders  virtually  independent  of  all 
control- 
In  the  course  of  two  months  both  Stanley  and  York 
actually  did  what  had  been  apprehended.  "  Thus," 
wrote  Pai'ma  to  Philip,  "  Fort  Zutphen,  about  which 


THE  AS  ON  S  AND    TROUBLES.  105 

there  have  beeu  so  mauy  fisticuffs,  aucl  Deventer, 
which  was  the  real  object  of  the  last  campaign,  and 
which  has  cost  the  English  so  much  blood  and  treas- 
ure, and  is  the  safety  of  Groniugeu  and  of  all  those 
provinces, .  is  now  your  majesty's.  Moreover,  the 
effect  of  this  treason  must  be  to  sow  great  distrust 
between  the  English  and  the  rebels,  who  will  hence- 
forth never  know  iu  whom  they  can  confide." 

Leicester  had  received  timely  warjiing  of  these 
apprehended  treasons,  and  had  been  implored  to 
empower  the  State  Council  to  remove  the  suspected 
officers  ;  but  all  in  vain.  As  if  still  further  to  unsettle 
the  confidence  of  the  Netherlanders  in  any  foreign 
allies,  the  important  castle  of  Wauw,  near  Bergen-op- 
zoom,  was  sold  to  Parma  about  the  same  time  by  the 
French  oflScer  to  whom  it  had  been  entrusted  ;  aud  the 
city  of  Gelder  was  delivered  up  to  the  Spaniards  by  a 
Scotch  officer  temporarily  in  command.  These  lessons 
were  well  adapted  to  teach  the  young  nation  a  whole- 
some and  reasonable  self-reliance,  and  though  the 
experience  was  a  severe  one,  it  was  doubtless  worth  all 
that  it  cost. 

At  this  time  Elizabeth  was  to  a  great  degree 
absorbed  in  affairs  at  home.  She  was  in  an  excited, 
anxious,  irritable  mood,  and  not  at  all  likely  to  heed 
petitions  or  remonstrances  from  the  Low  Countries, 
however  reasonable.     She  was  spiteful  to  the  king  of 


106  THE  DAYS  OF  PEINCE   MAURICE. 

France  and  contemptuous  toward  Henry  of  Navarre. 
' '  Your  lordship  may  see  that  our  courage  doth  greatly 
increase,"  wrote  Walsingham,  with  a  grim  humor, 
"  for  that  we  make  no  difficulty  to  fall  out  with  all 
the  world."  She  was  cold  and  niggardly  towards  her 
Netherland  allies,  and  strangely  credulous  in  regard  to 
the  good  intentions  of  Parma  and  his  royal  master. 
The  war  in  the  Netherlands  was  outrageously  expen- 
sive. She  mugt  and  would  somehow  get  out  of  it ; 
and  to  that  end  she  was  secretly  trying  to  bring  about 
a  peace. 

At  the  worst  possible  moment  there  arrived  five 
deputies  from  the  States,  who  politely  intimated  that 
should  her  majesty  change  her  mind  about  accepting 
the  sovereignty,  upon  reasonable  conditions,  the  offer 
was  still  open  to  her.  Having  thus  adroitly  smoothed 
the  way,  as  they  imagined,  the  envoys  proceeded  to 
ask  that  the  queen  would  double  the  number  of  troops 
formerly  promised,  and  lend  them  sixty  thousand 
pounds  sterling  for   their   operations    the  next   year. 

No  sooner  had  the  speaker  concluded  his  address, 
which  was  given  in  French,  than  the  exasperated 
queen  rose  and  replied  with  great  fluency  and  vehe- 
mence in  the  same  language.  She  berated  them  soundly 
for  their  ingratitude  and  audacity  in  asking  further 
aid,  after  having  so  illy  used  both  the  troops  and  the 
governor    she   had    given    them.     Not   content   with 


TBEASONS  AND    TROUBLES.  107 

denying  the  rumors  that  she  was  treating  for  peace 
without  their  knowledge,  she  went  so  far  as  to  insin- 
uate that  certain  of  their  chief  men,  "in  the  hope  of 
bribes,  had  been  favoring  the  Spaniards,  and  doing 
very  wicked  work." 

"  If  ever  I  do  anything  for  you  again,"  she  haughtily 
concluded,  "I  choose  to  be  treated  more  honorably. 
I  shall  therefore  appoint  some  personages  of  my 
council  to  communicate  with  you.  And  in  the  first 
place  I  choose  to  hear  and  see  for  myself  what  has 
taken  place  already,  and  have  satisfaction  about  that, 
before  I  make  any  reply  to  what  you  have  said  as  to 
greater  assistance.  And  so  I  will  leave  you  to-day, 
without  troubling  you  any  further."  With  this,  she 
swept  majestically  from  the  apartment,  leaving  the 
astonished  ambassadors  to  digest  her  speech  as  best 
they  could. 

The  queen's  statements  about  her  troops  having 
been  left  unpaid  and  unfed  till  many  of  them  hud 
been  compelled  either  to  pillage,  to  desert,  or  to 
starve,  were  perfectly  true ;  but  it  was  Elizabetli 
herself  who  was  responsible  for  that,  not  the  States. 
It  had  now  been  almost  six  months  since  she  had 
sent  them  anything  at  all ;  and  Wilkes  declared  that 
he  had  "pawned  his  very  carcase"  for  the  relief  of  her 
perishing  soldiers.  Out  of  previous  remittances  it 
was   notorious   that   a   handsome    percentage   always 


108  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

stuck  to  the  Qngers  of  the  paymaster.  And  Leicester, 
who  with  all  his  faults  was  generous  to  the  last 
degree,  had  spent  a  fortune  in  supplying,  so  far  as  he 
could,  the  funds  which  the  queen  had  failed  to  furnish. 

The  envoys  were  astonished  by  the  accusations 
which  the  queen  made,  and  defended  themselves 
manfully  in  a  private  interview  with  Lord-treasurer 
Burleigh  two  days  later.  Convinced  that  her  majesty 
had  listened  to  gross  misrepresentations,  they  strove 
to  enlighten  her  by  voluminous  statements  in  writing. 
In  the  midst  of  this  affair  came  the  news  of  the 
treason  of  Stanley  and  York.  At  the  same  time 
there  arrived  a  very  blunt  letter  from  the  States  to 
Leicester.  It  was  written  by  the  eminent  advocate  of 
Holland,  John  Olden-Barneveld,  and  bore  date,  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1587. 

Barneveld,  who  was  always  a  clear-sighted  and 
plain-spoken  personage,  was  not  disposed  to  mince 
matters  now.  He  began  by  alluding  to  the  boundless 
confidence  and  affection  with  which  the  United  Prov- 
inces had  received  the  earl,  and  had  hastened  to 
bestow  upon  him  the  office  of  governor-general. 
They  had  set  aside  all  limitations  to  his  authority, 
though  they  were  sensible  that  designing  persons 
might  thence  take  occasion  to  promote  their  own 
interests,  to  the  detriment  of  the  country.  This  was 
what  had  actually  happened.     Upon  the  shoulders  of 


TREASONS  AND    TROUBLES.  109 

these  evil  advisers  the  States-General  professed  to  lay 
the  blame  of  all  that  had  gone  wrong  during  Leices- 
ter's administration.  They  alluded  to  the  distrust 
early  implanted  between  their  leading  men  and  the 
earl,  to  the  detested  chamber  of  finance,  or  "  back- 
stairs council,"  to  the  obnoxious  embargo,  to  the 
embezzlement  of  funds  furnished  by  themselves,  to 
the  sufferings  of  the  English  troops,  to  the  violation 
of  ancient  rights,  and  efforts  to  sow  discord  and 
sedition.  Then  came  the  recent  treasons  at  Deventer 
and  Fort  Zutphen,  which  Leicester's  secret  prohibition 
had  rendered  it  impossible  for  the  State  Council  to 
prevent. 

"  We  doubt  not  that  her  majesty  and  your  excel- 
lency will  think  this  strange  language,"  continued  the 
letter.  "  But  w^e  can  assure  you  that  we  think  it 
strange  and  grievous  that  those  places  should  have 
been  confided  to  such  men,  against  our  repeated 
remonstrances.  ...  At  last,  —  feeling  that  the  ex- 
istence of  the  state  can  no  longer  be  preserved  with- 
out proper  authority,  and  that  the  whole  community  is 
full  of  emotion  and  distrust,  on  account  of  these 
great  treasons, —  we,  the  States-General,  have  felt 
constrained  to  establish  such  a  government  as  we 
deem  meet  for  the  emergency.  And  of  this  we  think 
proper  to  apprise  your  excellency." 

Prince  Maurice  had  in  fact  been  placed  at  the  head 


110  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

of  the  general  government,  and  Count  Hohenlo  ap- 
pointed his  lieutenant.  The  States  did  not  design, 
however,  to  withdraw  from  their  alliance  with  Eng- 
land by  this  arrangement,  which  was  only  provi- 
sional ;  and  in  closing  their  letter  desired  Leicester 
to  use  his  influence  with  her  majesty  to  maintain  her 
portion  of  the  allied  forces  "  in  good  order,  and  in 
better  pay." 

Another  blunt  letter,  to  the  queen  herself,  accom- 
panied this.  In  it  they  declared  that  although  the  loss 
of  Deventer  was  a  greater  calamity  to  their  cause 
than  the  fall  of  Antwerp,  they  were  still  resolved  to 
maintain  their  liberties,  and  depended  on  the  perform- 
ance of  her  majesty's  engagements. 

But  the  queen  was  now  more  exasperated  than  ever, 
and  declared  that  "  these  venomous  letters  "  had  set- 
tled it  once  for  all  that  Leicester  should  never  set  foot 
in  the  United  Provinces  again.  The  earl,  smiting  his 
breast,  fervently  ejaculated  in  Latin:  "From  such  an 
office,  good  Lord,  deliver  us  !  " 

The  States,  however,  stood  the  storm  right  man- 
fully. They  replied  with  firmness  and  dignity,  under 
date  of  March  1,  1587:  "We  are  accustomed,  as  our 
predecessors  have  been,  to  remonstrate  freely  with  our 
princes  and  governors,  in  regard  to  disorders  and 
encroachments  upon  our  privileges,  as  we  did  with 
your  excellency  while  here."     And  although  the  earl 


TBEASOXS  AND    TROUBLES.  Ill 

was  very  angry  at  first,  it  was  not  long  before  he  said 
he  would  be  willing  to  return,  provided  the  queen 
would  lend  him  a  few  thousand  pounds  to  prevent  the 
loss  of  the  estates  he  had  already  mortgaged. 

But  her  majesty's  ill  humor  was  not  soon  over. 
Her  chief  advisers  were  tormented  by  her  perverse- 
ness  and  caprice,  till  they  were  weary  of  their  lives. 
"  Our  sharp  words  continue,"  wrote  Secretary  Wal- 
singham,  "  which  doth  greatly  disquiet  her  majesty, 
and  discomfort  her  poor  servants  that  attend  her. 
The  Lord-treasurer  remaineth  still  in  disgrace ;  and 
behind  my  back  her  majesty  giveth  out  very  hard 
speeches  of  myself,  which  I  the  rather  credit  for  that 
I  find,  in  dealing  with  her,  I  am  nothing  gracious. 
.  .  .  Her  majesty  doth  wholly  lend  herself  to  devise 
some  further  means  to  disgrace  her  poor  council,  in 
respect  whereof  she  neglecteth  all  other  causes." 

Walsingham  in  vain  pressed  her  to  advance  the 
funds  needed  for  Leicester's  return  to  the  Provinces, 
if  only  out  of  regard  to  her  own  safety  and  the  inter- 
ests of  her  realm.  "  She  would  rather  hazard  the 
increase  of  confusion  there  —  which  may  put  the  whole 
country  in  peril  —  than  supply  your  want.  The  like 
course  she  holdeth  in  the  rest  of  her  causes,  which," 
he  pathetically  added,  "  maketh  me  to  wish  myself 
from  the  helm." 

One  good  thing,  however,  Elizabeth  did  do :  when 


112  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINGE   MAVBICE. 

the  envoys  returned  to  the  Provinces,  about  the  last  of 
March,  she  sent  over  Lord  Buckhurst.  This  accom- 
plished and  upright  nobleman  was  commissioned  to 
inquire  into  the  causes  of  complaint,  and  was  appar- 
ently expected  somehow  to  smooth  over  and  hush  up  all 
the  difficulties  and  troubles,  so  that  the  way  would  be 
clear  for  Leicester's  return.  The  queen  did  not  reflect 
that  the  delay  thus  occasioned  would  be  a  great  boon 
to  Parma.  Perhaps  she  overlooked  it  purposely ;  for 
during  all  this  year,  while  Philip  was  preparing  his 
great  invasion  of  England,  the  queen's  head  w^as  full 
of  schemes  for  some  kind  of  reconciliation  with  Spain  ; 
and  Buckhurst  had  even  been  instructed  cautiously  to 
sound  the  public  mind  on  that  point,  and  to  do  all  in 
his  power  to  "  frame  it  to  peace." 

Buckhurst  was  an  able  diplomatist,  and  he  honestly 
did  his  best  to  quiet  party  strifes,  as  well  as  personal 
animosities.  The  States-General  were  more  moderate 
than  might  have  been  expected.  They  said  they  had 
written  the  letter  of  February  in  the  bitterness  of  their 
souls,  immediately  after  the  treasons  of  Stanley  and 
York.  Yet  they  had  used  no  more  freedom  of  speech 
than  was  the  custom  of  their  race  in  dealing  with 
princes.  Buckhurst  was  prudent  and  conciliatory  in 
his  reply  ;  he  spoke  in  strong  terms,  however,  of  the 
goodness  of  the  queen  and  of  the  merits  of  Leicester. 
Upon  the  whole,  his  influence  did  much  good. 


TREASON'S  AND    TBOUBLES.  113 

But  the  more  Lord  Buckhurst  learned  of  the  true 
state  of  affairs,  the  more  cause  he  found  to  blame 
Lefcester  for  sowing  dissensions  there,  in  order  to 
promote  ambitious  designs  of  his  own.  Being  too 
conscientious  not  to  denounce  wrong  wherever  he  dis- 
covered it,  he  soon  got  himself  into  disfavor.  Leices- 
ter was  indignant  because  Buckhurst  had  attempted  to 
mediate  between  Sir  John  Norris  and  himself,  and 
had  actually  succeeded  in  reconciling  the  Norrises  with 
Count  Hohenlo.  The  queen  scolded  him  soundly  for 
not  scolding  the  States-General  enough.  And  when, 
in  obedience  to  her  majesty's  express  commands, 
Buckhurst  had  reluctantly  and  cautiously  broached  the 
subject  of  a  possible  peace  with  Spain,  she  bluntly 
told  him  he  ought  to  have  had  the  sense  to  keep  still. 
Indeed,  having  discovered  that  she  had  made  a  mis- 
take, she  instructed  Leicester  boldly  to  deny  that 
Buckhurst  had  orders  to  say  anything  at  all  upon  the 
subject. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    LOSS    OF    SLUTS,    AND    DRAKE's    BUCCANEERING. 

WHILE  Elizabeth  was  quarreling  with  nearly  all 
the  world  except  her  chief  enemy,  Alexander 
of  Parma  was  silently  and  steadily  carrying  on  Philip's 
grand  scheme  for  the  conquest  of  England. 

In  order  that  his  army  might  be  able  to  cooperate  in 
this  enterprise  with  the  great  fleet  coming  from  Spain, 
it  was  necessary  to  secure  a  convenient  seaport.  Ac- 
cordingly, early  in  the  summer  of  1587,  Parma  set 
about  besieging  Sluys.  This  city  stood  among  a  net- 
work of  streamlets  and  canals,  at  the  head  of  a  broad 
inlet  called  the  Swint,  which  afforded  excellent  anchor- 
age for  five  hundred  vessels.  It  was  on  the  southern 
border  of  the  Zealand  archipelago,  some  twelve  or 
fifteen  English  miles  nearly  southwest  from  Flushing, 
and  about  twenty-five  east  of  Ostend.  The  island  of 
Cadzand,  opposite  the  city,  protected  the  harbor. 

Though  the  environs  of  Sluys  consisted  mainly  of 
very  dubious  sandbanks,  which  were  sometimes  above 
water  and  sometimes  below,  the  city  itself  stood  upon 
good   solid   ground   and  was  well    fortified.     It   had 

114 


THE  LOSS   OF  SLUYS.  115 

a  strong  detached  citadel,  looking  toward  the  sea. 
Parma  had  about  five  thousand  foot,  among  whom 
were  some  of  the  most  renowned  regiments  of  Spain, 
and  one  thousand  horse.  The  besieged  could  muster 
only  about  sixteen  hundred  regular  troops,  half  of 
whom  w'ere  English ;  and  with  this  slender  force  they 
had  to  man  two  and  a  half  miles  of  rampart,  as  well 
as  all  their  forts  and  ravelins.  However,  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  spirit  and  determination  among  both  the 
citizens  and  the  garrison.  They  made  several  bril- 
liant sorties,  in  one  of  which  a  hundred  Englishmen, 
headed  by  the  gallant  Sir  Francis  Vere,  not  only  held 
at  bay  eight  companies  of  a  certain  famous  legion  but 
even  drove  them  from  their  position  and  took  many 
prisoners. 

The  Netherland  women  in  those  days,  if  not 
"  strong-minded,"  were  doubtless  remarkably  able- 
bodied  ;  and  in  the  sieges  of  Harlem  and  Maestricht 
particularly  had  rendered  much  service.  When  the 
latter  place  was  besieged  by  Parma  in  1579  there 
wei'e  three  regiments  of  female  sappers  and  miners, 
who  were  officered  by  mine  mistresses  of  their  own 
number  and  did  excellent  work.  In  the  present 
emergency  the  women  of  Sluys  bravely  resolved  to 
do  what  they  could.  Having  organized  a  band  of 
pioneers  under  two  female  captains,  the  ladies  took 
up  their  spades  and  actually  constructed  an  important 


116  THE  DAYS   OF  PEINCE  MAURICE. 

redoubt  between  the  citadel  and  the  rampart,  which 
in  compliment  to  its  fair  builders  was  named  "Fort 
Venus." 

But  in  spite  of  all  that  the  brave  little  garrison, 
the  sturdy  burghers,  and  the  women  could  do,  Sluys 
was  sorely  pressed,  and  sent  to  the  States-General 
urgent  entreaties  for  help.  Such  was  the  condition  of 
affairs,  however,  that  there  was  little  prospect  that 
anything  adequate  could  be  done.  On  the  fifth  of 
June  the  State  Council  in  session  at  The  Hague 
appointed  young  Maurice  captain-general  until  Lord 
Leicester  or  somebody  else  should  be  sent  from  p]ng- 
land  to  take  command.  It  also  repealed  all  those 
limitations  upon  its  own  action  which  the  earl  had 
secretly  made.  Just  theu,  however,  there  came  let- 
ters from  Leicester  aunouuciug  his  speedy  return 
and  summoning  the  Council  and  also  the  States- 
General  to  meet  him  on  his  arrival  at  Dort. 

The  sudden  return  proposed  was  even  more  sur- 
prising than  the  sudden  departure  had  been  ;  and  the 
Council  did  not  altogether  believe  in  it.  After 
dinner  they  resolved  not  to  rescind  their  action  of 
the  morning,  lest  his  excellency  should  change  his 
mind  and  not  come,  after  all.  Just  about  this  time 
Barneveld  got  hold  of  a  private  letter  of  the  earl  to 
his  secretary,  from  which  it  appeared  that  he  meant 
to  be  more  absolute  than  ever.     He  also  stated  that 


THE  LOSS   OF  SLUYS.  117 

the  queen  had  bidden  him  flatly  deny  that  she  was 
privately  trying  to  negotiate  with  Spain.  This  assur- 
ance would  have  been  cheering  to  the  Netherlander s, 
had  it  not  been  contradicted  in  the  earl's  private 
instructions  from  her  majesty,  a  copy  of  which,  also, 
Barneveld  had  managed  to  procure.  In  this  docu- 
ment he  was  enjoined  to  do  all  in  his  power  in  favor 
of  peace  ;  and  to  inform  all  concerned  that  the  queen 
would  accept  Philip's  handsome  propositions  in  behalf 
of  her  own  realm,  whether  they  did  so  or  not. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  when,  a  month  later,  their 
ingenuous  governor-general  arrived  he  was  not  hailed 
with  any  great  enthusiasm.  The  States-General  did 
not  come  to  Dort  to  meet  him,  as  desired.  In  regard 
to  measures  for  the  relief  of  Sluys,  there  was  plenty 
of  disputing,  but  nothing  was  effected.  The  Leices- 
triaus  berated  Maurice  and  Justiuus  of  Nassau,  and 
the  States  party  threw  the  blame  back  upon  them. 

The  Spaniards  labored  under  no  such  perplexities 
as  to  whom  they  should  obey ;  and  Alexander  de- 
clared that  never  in  his  life  had  he  witnessed  such 
heroism  and  endurance.  Though  almost  up  to  their 
ears  in  the  swamps  and  ditches,  they  delved  away  at 
their  mines  to  such  purpose  that  in  the  course  of  a 
month  they  were  close  under  the  walls  of  the  town. 
Sluys  had  long  carried  on  a  great  trade  in  foreign 
wines,  for  storing  which   immense   cellars   had   been 


118         THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

excavated  beneath  the  city.  On  this  account  the 
peril  of  the  inhabitants  was  the  greater,  as  the  miners 
might  any  day  reach  these  subterranean  vaults  and 
blow  up  half  the  town  at  once.  There  was  much 
hand-to-hand  fighting  underground,  as  well  as  upon 
the  ramparts.  Just  about  the  .time  when  Leicester 
returned  from  England  the  citadel  was  lost.  "  We 
were  forced  to  quit  the  fort,"  wrote  the  gallant  Welsh 
knight  Roger  Williams,  "  leaving  nothing  behind  us 
but  bare  earth.  But  here  do  we  remain,  resolute  to 
be  buried,  rather  than  to  be  dishonored  in  the  least 
point." 

Parma  had  closed  the  harbor  by  means  of  a  bridge 
of  boats,  and  Leicester  ordered  some  fire  ships  pre- 
pared in  hope  of  destroying  it.  But  such  were  the 
misunderstandings  and  disputes  that  none  of  the 
measures  for  relieving  the  town  amounted  to  any- 
thing. Only  seven  hundred  of  the  garrison  remained, 
and  these  were  forced  to  live  continually  on  the  ram- 
parts. There  was  a  breach  in  the  wall  almost  four 
hundred  paces  wide,  besides  two  lesser  ones ;  the 
powder  was  exhausted ;  the  fleet  designed  to  bring 
relief  sailed  away,  leaving  them  to  their  fate.  So  at 
last  the  city  was  forced  to  surrender.  Parma  granted 
the  most  honorable  terms  ;  otherwise  the  citizens  had 
agreed  to  burn  the  town  and  either  fight  their  way 
in  a  body  through  the  lines  or  perish  in  the  attempt. 


DRAKE'S  BUCCANEEBma.  119 

The  loss  of  Sluys  was  a  great  blow  to  the  United 
Provinces,  and  was  likely  to  prove  a  very  serious 
matter  for  England  as  well,  though  Elizabeth  did  not 
know  it.  Everybody  was  disposed  to  blame  every- 
body else.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  city  might 
have  been  saved  but  for  the  mutual  distrust  and 
jealousy  of  the  two  parties.  The  States  would  not 
cooperate  with  the  earl,  because  they  could  not  trust 
him  ;  and  the  earl  could  not  carry  on  affairs  alone, 
had  he  been  ever  so  well  disposed.  Maurice  was 
only  a  boy  of  twenty,  and  though  he  was  to  become 
a  great  general,  the  time  was  not  yet  come.  Count 
Hohenlo,  though  recklessly  bold,  was  factious  and 
headstrong ;  and  both  he  and  the  Norrises  were  at 
swords'  points  with  the  earl.  The  only  good  thing 
about  Leicester's  second  administration  was  that  it 
was  short.  Before  the  year  ended  he  returned  to 
England,  fully  resolved  never  to  set  foot  in  the 
United  Provinces  again. 

One  good  blow  had  been  struck  at  the  great  enemy 
of  England  and  the  Netherlands  during  this  year. 
On  the  second  of  April,  1587,  Sir  Francis  Drake,  the 
English  admu-al  who  had  already  done  not  a  little 
damage  to  the  Spanish  possessions  in  America,  sailed 
on  another  buccaneering  expedition  with  a  fleet  of 
twenty-eight  vessels.  Four  of  these  were  equipped 
by  the  queen  and  the  rest  by  private  parties.     When 


120         THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

a  few  days  out  he  learned  from  Zealand  sliips  home- 
ward bound,  that  vast  stores  of  munitions  of  war  were 
accumulating  in  the  harbors  of  Cadiz  and  Lisbon. 
Drake  had  no  doubt  as  to  what  Philip  II  was  intend- 
ing to  do  with  them,  and  instantly  he  resolved  to 
pounce  upon  them.  So  he  suddenly  appeared  in  the 
port  of  Cadiz  ;  and  in  the  course  of  two  nights  and 
a  day  he  burned  a  hundred  and  fifty  vessels  and  sunk 
others  containing  great  quantities  of  military  stores 
prepared  for  the  long-intended  invasion  of  P^ngland. 
This  was  done  in  the  face  of  a  dozen  huge  galleys 
which  were  too  clumsy  to  damage  their  nimble  and 
audacious  foes.  At  Lisbon  he  disposed  of  a  hundred 
vessels  more,  taking  as  much  of  their  cargo  as  he 
could  conveniently  carry  and  destroying  the  rest. 
Having  put  to  sea  with  this  booty,  he  had  the  further 
good  fortune  to  meet  and  capture  a  great  Spanish  East 
Indiaman  with  a  rich  cargo.  This  was  about  enough 
for  one  voyage,  and  before  midsummer  the  gallant 
privateersman  was  at  home  again  ;  not  so  ready  to 
boast  of  what  he  had  done  as  to  warn  his  govern- 
ment of  the  danger  impending  over  England.  One 
would  naturally  suppose  that  the  queen  must  have 
been  inexpressibly  grateful  to  the  brave  admiral  who 
had  dealt  her  great  enemy  so  hard  a  blow.  But  her 
head  was  still  full  of  schemes  for  making  peace,  and 
she  hastened  to  assure  Parma  that  she  never  meant 


DBAKE'S  BUCCAXEERIXG.  121 

anything  of  the  kind  to  be  done.  However,  in  doing 
it  the  English  had  become  skillful  in  handling  the  big 
Spanish  galleys,  a  lesson  which  stood  them  in  good 
stead  the  following  year. 

The  desire  for  peace  on  the  part  of  Elizabeth  was 
doubtless  sincere,  as  the  secret  correspondence  of 
the  period  shows.  Nor  did  she  deliberately  intend  to 
treat  with  Spain  for  herself  without  securing  peace 
for  the  Provinces  as  well.  For  a  long  time  she  clung 
to  the  idea  that  she  could  effect  both  objects,  and  thus 
put  an  end  to  the  war  which  made  such  incessant 
demands  upon  her  limited  resources. 

On  the  other  hand,  Parma  meant  nothing  at  all  ex- 
cept to  gain  time  while  pretending  to  negotiate.  The 
longer  he  could  keep  up  appearances,  the  more  time 
there  would  be  for  getting  ready  to  invade  England. 
So  he  used  to  write  affectionate  letters  to  her  majesty, 
assuring  her  a  thousand  times  of  his  ardent  desire  to 
conclude  a  treaty ;  and  the  queen  believed  him.  So 
did  not  a  Tfew  of  her  statesmen,  in  spite  of  the  news 
brought  by  Drake.  In  the  autumn  there  began  to  be 
talk  of  sending  over  commissioners  empowered  to 
make  a  treaty.  Lord  Burleigh  wrote  to  the  queen's 
agent  in  Flanders  that  if  Parma  would  only  declare 
upon  his  princely  honor  that  the  military  preparations 
in  Spain  were  not  intended  for  invading  England,  or 
if  even  he  would  advise  Philip  to  desist  from  doing 


122         THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

anything  of  the  kind,  the  English  commissioners 
should  wait  upon  him  without  dela}'. 

Now  the  prince  of  Parma  had  not  the  slightest 
doubt  about  his  master's  designs.  The  invasion  of 
England  had  been  a  pet  project  for  a  long  while.  In 
May  of  this  year  Philip  had  written  explicitly  in 
regard  to  the  proposed  negotiations.  He  wished  them 
to  be  carried  on  by  all  means,  even  to  the  appoint- 
ment and  meeting  of  peace  commissioners.  "This 
is  the  true  way  to  take  them  in,"  he  confidentially 
remarked.  "  But  my  intention  is  that  this  shall  never 
lead  to  any  result,  whatever  conditions  may  be  offered 
by  them.  On  the  contrary  all  this  is  done  —  just  as 
they  do  —  to  deceive  them,  and  to  cool  them  in  their 
preparations  for  defense,  by  inducing  them  to  believe 
that  such  preparations  will  be  unnecessary.  You  are 
aware  that  the  reverse  of  all  this  is  the  truth,  and  that 
on  our  part  there  is  to  be  no  slackness  but  the  great- 
est diligence  in  our  efforts  for  the  invasion  of  England, 
for  which  we  have  already  made  the  most  abundant 
provision  in  men,  ships,  and  money." 

After  instructing  Parma  in  various  details  he 
added:  "Thus,  and  in  other  ways,  time  will  be 
spent.  Your  own  envoys  are  not  to  know  the  secret 
any  more  than  the  English  themselves.  I  tell  it  to 
you  only." 

Accordingly  in  February,  1588,  the  English  deputies 


DBAKE'S  BUCCANEERING.  123 

actually  came  to  Ostend  to  negotiate.  INIonths  were 
spent  in  tying  and  untying  red  tape,  Parma  now  yield- 
ing one  point  and  now  insisting  on  another,  so  that 
matters  were  protracted  as  adroitly  as  could  be  desired, 
without  any  result. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    STORY    OF    THE    ARMADA. 

IT  was  intended  that  the  invasion  of  England 
should  take  place  in  the  autumn  of  1587.  The 
month  of  October  had  been  chosen,  because  the 
English  barns  would  be  full  of  grain  and  the  fields 
of  wheat  would  have  been  sown  for  the  next  year. 
But  when  the  time  came  the  Armada  was  not  ready. 
Drake's  exploits  in  the  harbors  of  Cadiz  and  Lisbon 
had  interfered  seriously  with  Philip's  navy  ;  and  not 
a  little  of  the  work  had  to  be  done  anew.  So  the 
fleet  was  not  ready  till  the  next  spring. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May,  1588,  the  great  Armada 
set  sail  from  Lisbon,  where  it  had  been  waiting  some 
weeks  for  a  favorable  wind.  It  numbered  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  vessels,  ranging  in  capacity  from 
three  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  tons.  It  was 
divided  into  ten  squadrons,  each  commanded  by  an 
officer  of  distinction,  with  the  Duke  of  Medina 
Sidonia  as  admiral.  About  sixty  of  the  vessels  were 
galleons ;  these  were  great,  clumsy  structures,  with 
bulwarks  three  or  four  feet  thick,  and  something  like 

124 


The  Destruction  of  the  Armada. 


THE  STOBY  OF  THE  ABMADA.  125 

a  castle  built  up  at  each  end.  Then  there  were  four 
galleasses,  very  large,  and  each  rowed  by  three  hun- 
dred galley  slaves,  who  sat  on  benches  amidships. 
These  also  had  enormous  fortresses  rising  high  at 
stem  and  stern  and  were  equipped  with  heavy  cannon. 
They  contained  splendid  state  apartments,  cabins, 
chapels,  and  pulpits ;  and  were  elegantly  furnished 
with  awnings,  cushions,  streamers,  and  other  para- 
phernalia for  display.  They  must  have  been  awk- 
ward and  dangerous  when  there  was  sailing  or  fight- 
ing to  be  done.  The  galleys  were  much  like  them, 
only  smaller. 

The  aggregate  tonnage  of  the  fleet  was  59,120; 
the  number  of  guns  3,165.  There  were  nearly  twenty 
thousand  soldiers  on  board,  together  with  more  than 
eight  thousand  sailors  and  two  thousand  galley  slaves. 
A  band  of  volunteers  from  the  Spanish  nobility,  with 
their  attendants,  numbered  nearly  two  thousand  more. 
And  the  vicar-general  of  the  Holy  Inquisition  was 
also  on  board,  with  about  three  hundred  friars  and 
inquisitors,  ready  to  go  to  work  immediately  on 
English  heretics. 

The  Armada  Avas  to  proceed  to  Calais  roads,  and 
there  to  meet  the  general  of  the  expedition,  Alex- 
ander of  Parma,  with  his  veteran  army  of  seventeen 
thousand  men.  Crossing  to  Dover,  Parma  was  to 
land  with  twenty-three  thousand   of   the  troops   and 


126         THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

to  march  at  once  to  London.  Meanwhile  the  duke 
of  Medina  Sidonia  was  to  occupy  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
with  the  remainder  of  the  army.  So  confident  of  an 
easy  conquest  was  Alexander  that  he  had  provided 
gorgeous  attire  for  the  troops  who  were  to  figure  in 
his  triumphant  entry  into  London.  It  is  interesting 
to  read  how  many  thousand  yards  of  cramoisy  velvet, 
how  much  satin  and  embroidery,  how  many  hundred- 
weight of  gold  and  silver  lace,  and  what  quantities  of 
pearls  and  diamonds  were  bought,  to  apparel  himself 
and  his  train  for  that  glorious  occasion  —  which,  after 
all,  never  arrived. 

The  one  thing  in  all  these  careful  arrangements 
which  had  not  been  provided  for  was  the  all-impor- 
tant junction  of  the  two  armies  at  Calais.  A  hundred 
and  forty  swift  little  cruisers  of  Holland  and  Zea- 
land were  watching  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the 
coast,  so  that  Parma's  light  flotilla  could  not  get  out. 
His  vessels  were  simply  transport  boats,  small  enough 
to  navigate  the  inland  waters  of  the  Low  Countries, 
and  not  at  all  able  to  resist  an  attack.  Unless  the 
blockading  fleet  should  first  be  routed  by  the  Spanish 
ships  Parma's  army  could  not  quit  the  shore.  But 
the  Armada  had  no  vessels  that  could  venture  among 
the  dangerous  shoals  of  that  coast.  They  were  too 
unwieldy  for  this  perilous  service.  Parma  had  fore- 
seen this  difficulty  long  before  ;  but  he  had  not  been 


THE  STOEY  OF  THE  AEMADA.  127 

able  to  make  his  royal  master  perceive  it  also.  It 
could  not  be  got  into  the  king's  head  that  there  would 
be  any  blockading  squadron  there  ;  or  that  Parma 
could  not  easily  come  out  with  his  flatboats  when- 
ever he  liked. 

After  the  Armada  had  been  about  three  weeks  at 
sea,  and  had  reached  the  dangerous  neighborhood  of 
Cape  Fiiiisterre,  it  encountered  a  severe  storm.  The 
largest  of  the  four  great  galleys,  the  Diana,  went  to 
the  bottom  with  all  on  board.  Two  of  the  others  in 
the  same  squadron,  the  Princess  and  the  Vasana, 
were  also  in  imminent  peril.  On  board  the  latter, 
among  the  wretched  slaves  toiling  at  the  oars,  sat 
one  David  Gwynn,  a  Welshman,  who  had  been  taken 
prisoner  of  war  eleven  years  before.  He  was  known 
to  have  been  a  sailor  all  his  life  ;  and  in  this  desperate 
crisis  the  less  experienced  master  of  the  galley  con- 
descended to  ask  his  advice.  David  Gwynn  was  not 
slow  to  seize  the  opportunity  for  which  he  had  waited 
all  those  wretched  years.  "  There  is  no  use  in  trying 
to  overtake  the  rest  of  the  fleet,"  replied  he.  "  Unless 
we  take  in  every  rag  of  sail  and  trust  to  the  oars 
alone,  we  are  sure  to  go  to  the  bottom.  These  sol- 
diers cannot  help  us  now ;  send  them  below,  where 
they  will  be  out  of  our  way,  and  we  will  do  our  best 
to  reach  the  nearest  port."  The  anxious  captain 
dared   not   refuse ;  and  accordingly  all   the   soldiers, 


128         THE  DATS   OF  PBINCE   MAURICE. 

except  a  few  who  sat  on  the  benches  among  the 
chained  rowers,  were  ordered  beneath  the  hatches. 

There  was  scarcely  a  man  among  all  the  gang  who 
had  not  contrived  to  fashion  for  himself  some  rude 
weapon,  which  he  secretly  wore,  ready  for  any  chance 
of  escape.  At  a  signal  fi'om  Gwynn  each  slave 
stabbed  the  soldier  nearest  him,  while  their  leader 
killed  the  captain.  Then  rushing  below  they  over- 
powered and  put  to  death  all  the  rest.  By  this  time 
the  commander  of  the  fourth  galley,  the  Royal,  sus- 
pecting foul  play  on  board  the  Vasana,  sent  a  broad- 
side which  killed  nine  of  the  mutineers.  But  Gwynn 
and  his  men  were  now  as  well  armed  and  as  desperate 
as  men  could  be.  They  boarded  the  Royal,  and  with 
the  help  of  its  own  slaves  mastered  the  vessel  and 
put  the  soldiers  to  the  sword.  The  gale  had  now 
abated.  The  brave  Welshman  made  his  way  toward 
the  French  coast  with  his  two  great  galleys  and 
landed  at  Bayoune.  Of  that  luckless  squadron  only 
one  was  left  to  join  the  fleet,  which  was  finally  re- 
assembled at  Corn  ha. 

A  full  month  was  spent  in  repairing  damages,  and  it 
was  not  until  July  22  that  the  Armada  again  set 
sail.  Seven  days  later  the  Spanish  fleet  first  caught 
sight  of  English  shores,  as  they  entered  the  Channel. 

England  had  been  much  in  doubt  about  the  threat- 
ened invasion,  but  by  this  time  people  generally  were 


THE  STORY  OF   THE  ARMADA.  129 

at  least  auxious.  But  they  had  heard  of  a  terrible 
storm  iu  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  and  hoped  the  Armada, 
wherever  it  might  be  going,  had  been  disabled  for  a 
long  time.  During  that  very  week  orders  had  come 
down  from  Loudon  to  the  admiral  at  Plymouth  to 
disarm  the  four  largest  ships,  as  they  were  sure  not  to 
be  needed  before  another  year.  Fortunately  this  had 
not  been  accomplished,  when  on  Friday  afternoon, 
July  29,  a  merchant  ship  came  full  sail  into  Plymouth 
Bay  with  news  that  the  dreaded  Armada  was  already 
in  the  Channel. 

Then  England  awoke.  There  was  no  longer  any 
doubt.  Not  a  moment  was  lost.  "The  blaze  of  ten 
thousand  beacon  fires,  from  the  Land's  End  to  Mar- 
gate, and  from  the  Isle  of  Wight  to  Cumberland," 
says  Motley,  "  gave  warning  to  every  Englishman  that 
the  foe  was  at  last  upon  them."  Macaulay's  fine 
poem.  The  Armada,  vividly  pictures  the  instant  rising 
of  our  brave  ancestors  against  their  mighty  foe  :  — 

Night  sunk  upon  the  dusky  beach,  and  on  the  purple  sea; 

Such  night  in  England  ne'er  had  been,  nor  e'er  again  shall  be. 

From  Eddystone  to  Berwick  bounds,  from  Lynn  to  Milford  Bay, 

The  time  of  slumber  was  as  bright,  as  busy  as  the  day; 

For  swift  to  east,  and    swift   to    west,  the    warning   radiance 

spread, — 
High  on  St.  Michael's  Mount  it  shone,  it  shone  on  Beachy  Head. 
Far  o'er  the  deep  the  Spaniard  saw,  along  each  southern  shire, 
Cape  beyond  cape,  in  endless  range,  those  twinkling  points  of  fire. 


130  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINGE  MAUBICE. 

The  sentinel  on  Whitehall  gate  looked  forth  into  the  night, 

And  saw,  o'erhanging  Richmond  Hill,  that  streak   of  blood-red 

light. 
The  bugle's  note  and  cannon's  roar  the  deathlike  silence  broke, 
And  with  one  start,  and  with  one  cry,  the  royal  city  woke. 
At  once,  on  all  her  stately  gates,  arose  the  answering  fires; 
At  once  the  wild  alarum  clashed  from  all  her  reeling  spires ; 
From  all  the  batteries  of  the  Tower  pealed  loud  the  voice  of  fear. 
And  all  the  thousand  masts  of  Thames  sent  back  a  louder  cheer; 
And  from  the  farthest  wards  was  heard  the  rush  of  hurrying  feet, 
And  the  broad  streams  of  flags  and  pikes  dashed  down  each  rous- 
ing street ; 
And  broader  still  became  the  blaze,  and  louder  still  the  din. 
As  fast  from  every  village  round,  the  horse  came  hurrying  in. 

While  the  Armada  was  slowly  sailing  onward 
toward  the  appointed  rendezvous  at  Calais,  there  was 
great  activity  in  Plymouth  harbor.  Before  sunrise 
sixty  of  the  best  ships  had  left  port.  That  Saturday 
afternoon  the  hostile  fleets  had  their  first  sight  of  each 
other  through  the  dimness  of  a  drizzling  rain.  At 
nine  the  next  morning  they  met.  There  were  one 
hundred  and  thirty-six  Spanish  ships,  ninety  of  which 
were  large  ;  the  English  had  only  sixty-seven  sail. 

The  Armada  offered  battle,  but  the  P2nglish 
declined,  aware  that  with  vessels  so  light  and  swift 
they  could  choose  their  own  time  for  a  regular  fight. 
For  the  present  they  preferred  hanging  upon  the  rear, 
to  tease,  harass,  and  then  elude  their  clumsy  foes. 
The  huge  towering  galleons  were  an  easy  mark  for 


THE  STORY  OF   TUB  ABM  AD  A.  131 

the  English  artillery,  while  the  Spanish  gunners  were 
not  expert  enough  to  do  much  harm  to  their  brisk 
little  enemies.  Admiral  Oqueudo,  vexed  at  seeing 
most  of  his  balls  quite  thrown  away,  blamed  his  mas- 
ter gunner  for  careless  firing.  The  gunner,  enraged 
by  the  reproof,  quietly  laid  a  train  to  the  powder 
magazine,  and  after  lighting  it  threw  himself  into  the 
sea.  Two  decks  blew  up ;  the  great  castle  at  the 
stern  rose  into  the  clouds,  and  with  it  went  the  pay- 
master of  the  whole  fleet,  a  vast  amount  of  mone}', 
and  two  hundred  men.  In  trying  to  assist  the  sur- 
vivors several  other  ships  became  entangled  and  mucli 
damaged.  The  great  galleon  of  Don  Pedro  de  Valdez, 
commander  of  the  Andalusian  squadron,  was  at  length 
forced  to  surrender.  On  the  whole,  this  first  "  small 
fight,"  as  Hawkins  called  it,  was  quite  encouraging. 

On  Monday,  the  first  of  August,  both  fleets  moved 
on  along  the  coast,  the  English  still  hanging  on  the 
rear,  but  refusing  to  come  to  close  quarters.  They 
were  well  aware  that  in  a  hand-to-hand  grapple  the 
great  Spanish  ships  would  prove  the  stronger ;  so 
they  contented  themselves  with  what  they  could  do  in 
less  hazardous  ways.  The  Armada  must  needs  go  on 
to  Calais ;  its  audacious  pursuers  in  their  slender  and 
swift-sailing  craft  could  fight  or  leave  off  fighting 
whenever  they  liked.  Doubtless  they  found  it  great 
fun  to  pelt  the  big  galleons  with  a  saucy    broadside 


132  THE  DATS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

and  then  to  slip  through  the  very  fingers  of  their 
unwieldy  and  exasperated  enemies. 

So  it  went  on  till  Tuesday  morning,  when  the  first 
general  engagement  took  place.  The}'  were  sailing 
between  Portland  and  St.  Albans  Head  when  the 
Armada,  taking  advantage  of  a  change  of  wind, 
attacked  the  English  fleet.  The  battle  was  protracted, 
but  indecisive.  "We  had  a  sharp  and  long  fight," 
wrote  Hawkins  in  an  official  dispatch  to  Walsingham. 
"If  her  majesty's  ships  had  been  manned  with  a  full 
supply  of  good  gunners,"  remarked  an  old  artillery- 
man long  after,  "  it  would  have  been  the  wofullest 
time  ever  the  Spaniards  took  in  hand,  and  the  most 
noble  victory  ever  heard  of  would  have  been  her 
majesty's.  But  our  sins  were  the  cause  that  so  much 
powder  and  shot  were  spent,  so  long  time  in  fight,  and 
in  comparison  so  little  harm  done." 

At  night  the  English  got  the  weather  gauge  again 
and  continued  the  pursuit.  Their  fleet  now  numbered 
more  than  one  hundred  sail ;  yet  few  of  these  were 
.ships  of  war,  and  the  merchantmen  that  had  been 
hastily  equipped  for  service  were  chiefly  useful  to 
make  a  show.  On  Wednesday  there  was  but  little 
fighting ;  but  on  Thursday,  off  Uunnose,  on  the  Isle 
of  Wight,  a  few  of  the  principal  vessels  on  each  side 
had  a  skirmish  closer  and  sharper  than  any  before. 
The  English  inflicted  much  harm,  but  suffered  little. 


THE  STORY  OF   THE  ABMADA.  133 

At  last  on  Saturday  afternoon  the  Armada  dropped 
anchor  in  Calais  roads,  where  it  was  to  be  met  by 
its  commander-in-chief.  It  lay  at  a  short  distance 
from  shore  compactly  drawn  up  in  a  half-moon.  The 
English,  who  had  been  reinforced  by  Lord  Henry 
Seymour  with  a  squadron  of  sixteen  vessels,  lay  only 
a  mile  and  a  half  below. 

Matters  were  evidently  coming  to  a  crisis.  As 
soon  as  Parma  and  his  veteran  army  should  appear 
upon  the  scene  the  Armada  was  to  cover  the  passage 
of  his  flotilla  across  the  straits  to  Dover,  which  would 
require  only  a  few  hours,  and  then  the  chief  diflicul- 
ties  would  be  over.  It  would  be  no  great  trouble  to 
conquer  England  when  once  landed  upon  her  shores. 

So  all  eyes  were  strained  with  gazing  eastward  to 
catch  the  first  glimpse  of  Parma's  fleet,  bringing  the 
splendid  army  that  was  to  subdue  England.  All 
through  the  calm  moonlight  night  they  watched,  and 
all  through  the  bright  tranquil  day  that  followed,  with 
an  impatience  that  grew  sharper  every  hour.  But 
nothing  was  seen  or  heard  of  Alexander.  Messengers 
had  been  dispatched  to  him  day  after  da}'^  ever  since 
the  week  before  ;  but  not  one  had  come  back.  It  did 
not  occur  to  them  that  they  might  attempt  to  clear  the 
way  for  him  ;  and  so  they  simply  waited.  Meanwhile 
the  English  had  a  little  scheme  of  their  own. 

That  Sunday   evening   the   sky   became   dark   and 


134  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

lowering.  The  Spaniards  grew  uneasy.  They  had 
reason  enough  ;  for  Calais  harbor  was  not  a  safe  place 
for  such  a  fleet  in  a  storm,  even  had  there  been  no 
enemy  in  the  neighborhood.  At  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning  their  sentinels  caught  the  sound  of  distant 
oars.  While  they  were  anxiously  listening  a  sudden 
glare  lighted  up  the  black  waves  and  six  blazing 
vessels  burst  into  view,  almost  among  them.  The 
Spaniards  knew  only  too  well  what  fireships  might 
mean.  They  I'emembered  the  floating  volcanoes  at 
Antwerp  three  years  before  ;  and  it  flashed  upon  their 
shuddering  memories  that  Gianibelli,  their  inventor, 
now  lived  in  England. 

Panic-struck,  they  shrieked:  "The  fire  ships  of 
Antwerp  !  the  fire  ships  of  Antwerp  !  "  The  cry  rang 
throughout  the  fleet ;  and  on  the  instant,  frantic  with 
terror,  they  cut  every  cable,  and  every  vessel  made 
haste  to  flee.  Two  were  set  on  fire  by  the  flaming 
ships  and  consumed ;  several  of  the  galleons  became 
entangled  and  helpless  ;  and  the  rest  of  the  fleet,  in 
wild  disorder,  drifted  before  the  rising  wind  toward 
the  fatal  quicksands  of  the  Flemish  coast. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  In  the  morn- 
ing the  English  overtook  their  flying  foes  off  Grave- 
lines.  They  had  by  this  time  collected  their  vessels 
as  well  as  they  were  able  and  gave  battle.  It  was  a 
long   and    severe   engagement.     The    Spaniards  were 


THE  STOUT   OF  THE  ABMADA.  135 

extremely  anxious  to  get  back  to  Calais ;  but  the 
English,  having  now  both  wind  and  tide  in  their  favor, 
stood  decidedly  in  their  way.  The  Armada  lavished 
incredible  quantities  of  powder  and  ball  without  de- 
stroying a  single  English  ship  or  killing  a  hundred 
men.  Their  own  best  remaining  vessels  were  severely 
damaged,  and  at  least  sixteen  utterly  destroyed.  Not 
less  than  four  or  five  thousand  of  their  men  perished. 
The  engagement  lasted  from  ten  in  the  morning  till 
nearly  five  in  the  afternoon.  The  Armada,  its  small 
shot  having  been  exhausted,  now  took  to  flight.  The 
ammunition  of  the  English  also  was  almost  spent ; 
but,  as  the  lord-admiral  afterward  told  the  story,  they 
"  put  on  a  brag  countenance  and  gave  them  chase,  as 
though  they  had  wanted  nothing."  Another  officer 
remarked  that  "  the  Almighty  had  stricken  them  with 
a  wonderful  fear."  Still  driven  apace  before  the 
westerly  wind,  the  next  morning  the  Spanish  fleet  was 
close  upon  the  fatal  shores  of  Zealand.  The  wind 
veered  toward  the  south  just  in  time  to  allow  them 
to  gain  the  open  sea  once  more.  But  still  they  fled 
before  the  breeze,  followed  still  by  their  triumphant 
foes.  On  and  on,  through  the  North  Sea  they  were 
driven,  closely  pursued  for  four  days  longer  by  the 
gallant  Howard,  Drake,  and  Frobisher,  who  found 
it  not  difficult  to  maintain  the  "  brag  countenance  " 
now. 


136  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  3IAURICE. 

On  Friday,  August  12,  the  remnant  of  the  invin- 
cible Armada  was  still  flying  northward  between  the 
Scotch  and  the  Danish  coasts.  The  English  fleet, 
having  no  longer  either  food  or  fire,  concluded  to  let 
it  make  the  rest  of  its  homeward  voyage  alone.  It 
was  destined  to  find  but  cold  consolation  among  the 
Orkneys  and  Hebrides.  On  the  Sunday  following  a 
most  violent  storm  arose,  which  was  followed  by 
successive  tempests  for  more  than  a  fortnight.  Forty 
of  the  remaining  vessels  were  wrecked  upon  the  Irish 
coast,  September  2,  and  nearly  every  soul  on  board 
perished.  Only  fifty-three  of  the  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  vessels  which  left  Coruiia  in  July  ever 
returned.  Of  the  thirty  thousand  men  on  board 
probably  not  ten  thousand  ever  saw  their  native  land 
again.  Spain  was  filled  with  mourning  from  one  end 
to  the  other. 

So  ended  the  career  of  the  great  Armada.  "  Their 
invincible  and  dreadful  navy,"  said  Drake,  "  with  all 
its  great  and  terrible  ostentation,  did  not  so  much  as 
sink  or  take  one  ship,  bark,  pinnace,  or  cockboat  of 
ours ;  or  even  burn  so  much  as  one  sheepcote  upon 
this  land."  One  can  hardly  fail  to  be  reminded  of  the 
■message  sent  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  Hezekiah : 
"Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  the  king 
of  Assyria.  He  shall  not  come  into  this  city,  nor 
shoot  an  arrow  there,  nor  come  before  it  with  shield, 


THE   STOEY   OF    THE  AEJIADA.  137 

nor  cast  a  bank  against  it.  B}'  the  way  that  he  came, 
by  the  same  shall  he  return,  and  shall  not  come  into 
this  city,  saith  the  Lord.  For  I  will  defend  this  city, 
to  save  it,  for  mine  own  sake,  and  for  my  servant 
David's  sake."  ^ 

Even  thus  did  God  defend  England  in  this  time  of 
her  peril.  The  greatest  empire  of  the  world  had  done 
its  utmost  to  destroy  a  little  seagirt  kingdom,  then 
ranking  only  at  a  third  or  fourth  rate  among  Euro- 
pean nations.  And  though  the  undertaking  had 
utterly  failed,  at  the  outset  there  was  every  prospect 
that  it  would  succeed.  To  contend  with  the  Armada, 
whose  numbers  and  strength  have  been  mentioned,  the 
navy  of  England  could  produce  only  thirty-four  men- 
of-war,  none  of  which  exceeded  eleven  hundred  tons, 
and  some  were  even  below  one  hundred.  Its  aggre- 
gate tonnage  was  scarcely  one  fifth  that  of  the  Span- 
ish fleet;  its  total  number  of  guns  but  one  fourth. 
The  greater  part  of  the  vessels  otherwise  furnished 
were  not  so  equipped  as  to  be  of  much  service.  Had 
the  Spanish  army  effected  a  landing,  there  was  little 
to  oppose  their  progress.  At  the  very  time  when  the 
Armada  lay  in  Calais  roads,  England's  army,  such  as 
it  was,  had  not  even  been  mustered  into  camp.  There 
was  abundant  patriotism,  it  is  true  ;  but  nothing  like 
an  organized,  disciplined,  well-appointed  army  was  to 

1  2  Kings  19 :  32-34. 


138  THE  DATS   OF  PRINCE   MAURICE. 

be  found.  There  were  no  fortresses,  no  commissary, 
no  systematic  preparation  of  any  kind.  It  would 
seem  that  Parma's  veteran  troops  might  have  marched 
to  London  without  much  trouble  had  they  once  landed. 
What  if  the  great  schemes  of  Philip  II  had  been 
carried  out?  Of  course,  we  say,  the  history  of  Eng- 
land, Holland,  and  America  would  have  been  very 
different  from  what  it  is.  But  our  answer  should 
come  nearer  home  than  that.  It  would  have  made  a 
great  difference  to  us  who  are  now  living.  Would  it 
have  been  a  small  matter  to  us  if  the  Bible  had  not 
been  translated  iuto  our  mother  tongue,  as  it  was  in 
the  time  of  Elizabeth's  successor?  Parma  on  the 
English  throne  would  never  have  given  us  that. 
There  would  have  been  plenty  of  racks  and  gibbets 
and  stakes  ;  there  would  have  been  a  great  many  more 
Englishmen  in  "the  noble  army  of  the  martyrs." 
Instead  of  trial  by  jury  would  have  been  the  Inquisi- 
tion ;  in  place  of  parliaments  and  congresses  and 
ballot  box  would  have  been  imperial  "edicts"  with 
foreign  armies  to  enforce  them.  Well  may  we  thank 
God  that  he  defeated  the  "  invincible  Armada  "  ! 

Note.— An  interesting  and  valuable  collection  of  official  documents 
entitled  "La  Armada  Invincible  "  has  lately  been  compiled  by  Captain 
Duro,  of  the  Spanish  navy.  It  has  been  reviewed  by  Mr.  Fronde  in  a 
series  of  articles  entitled, "  The  Spanish  Story  of  the  Arnia<la."  The  dis- 
crepancies between  tlie  Spanish  and  the  English  accounts  are  in  general 
but  slight.  It  is  interesting,  however,  to  Icaru  that  the  duke  of  Medina 
Sidonia  took  command  of  the  expedition  greatly  against  his  will,  and 
protesting  that  he  had  not  one  qualMcation  for  the  post,  a  statement 


THE  STORY  OF   THE  ABM  AD  A.  139 

which  seems  to  have  been  entirely  correct.  lie  declared  that  his  health 
was  bad,  he  was  always  seasick,  he  knew  nothing  of  naval  warfare  or  of 
navigation  or  of  anything  else  which  he  needed  to  know.  Had  the  old 
admiral  who  preceded  him  lived  long  enough  to  conduct  the  enterprise 
in  person,  it  might  have  succeeded.  As  it  was,  the  fleet  sailed  with 
water  and  food  which  had  been  put  on*board  four  months  before;  and 
a  great  amount  of  illni^'ss  resulted.  Many  other  things  naturally  went 
wrong,  though  Philip  fancied  that,  between  his  own  explicit  instruc- 
tions and  Parma's  generalship,  there  would  not  be  much  for  the 
admiral  to  do. 

The  Spanish  account  states  that  news  did  come  from  Parma  on  that 
Sunday  when  the  fleet  lay  in  Calais  roads;  he  said  he  was  at  r>ruges, 
his  transports  at  Dunkirk,  and  nothing  reaily.  Nothing  is  said  of  the 
Dutch  cruisers,  which  would  have  stood  very  much  in  their  way,  had 
they  been  ready. 


CHAPTER    XII. 


HOW    BREDA    WAS    TAKEN. 


WHILE  the  Euglish  and  the  Netherlanders  were 
rejoicing  over  the  defeat  of  their  common 
enemy,  they  became  very  cordial  toward  each  other 
for  a  time.  The  queen  sent  over  Sir  John  Norris 
soon  afterward  to  thank  the  States  for  their  assist- 
ancCj  and  invited  them  to  join  in  a  naval  expedition 
against  Spain  the  following  spring.  Nothing  could 
have  been  more  to  their  liking  than  an  enterprise  of 
tiiis  kind.  They  knew  that  however  good  the  Span- 
iards might  be  as  soldiers,  they  did  not  count  for  much 
at  sea  compared  with  the  English  or  themselves. 

Unfortunately  for  the  mutual  confidence  just  now 
restored,  a  fresh  instance  of  treason  occurred  to 
unsettle  it.  The  city  of  Gertruydenberg,  whose  Eng- 
lish commandant  had  refused  to  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  Prince  Maurice  and  the  States-General 
even  after  Leicester  had  resigned  the  government,  was 
treacherously  given  up  to  the  Spaniards.  Naturally 
this  awakened  afresh  the  indignation  and  distrust  of 
the  Netherlanders  toward  their  Euglish  allies,  and  the 

140 


sow  BRED  A  WAS   TAKEI^.  141 

joint  expedition  was  not  as  heartily  undertaken,  or  as 
well  managed,  as  it  might  otherwise  have  been. 

The  special  design  was  to  stir  up  a  revolution  in 
Portugal,  now  subject  to  Philip  II.  In  order  to  accom- 
plish this  they  were  to  take  with  them  as  a  candidate 
for  the  Portuguese  crown  Don  Antonio,  the  famous 
pretender.  About  one  hundred  and  sixty  vessels  were 
mustered  in  Plymouth  harbor  in  April,  1589,  of  which 
forty  were  from  Holland.  Only  six  were  regular  men- 
of-war,  the  rest  being  merely  armed  merchantmen. 
They  carried  some  fourteen  thousand  men,  includ- 
ing fifteen  hundred  of  the  Dutch.  Norris  and  Drake 
were  in  command,  assisted  by  other  noted  officers. 

It  was  the  eighteenth  of  April  when  they  left  Ply- 
mouth, and  for  some  reason  they  stopped  at  Coruna, 
in  England  commonly  called  "The  Groyne,"  instead 
of  hastening  toward  Lisbon.  They  destroyed  some 
shipping  supposed  to  be  intended  for  Philip's  next 
invasion  of  England ;  took  and  pillaged  the  lower 
town  ;  and  routed  a  large  •  Spanish  force  at  Burgos. 
Meanwhile  they  lost  some  of  their  men  by  desertion, 
and  a  great  number  by  fevers  and  dysentery.  Thus 
they  were  delayed  so  long  that  the  Spaniards  had  time 
to  get  ready  for  them  at  Lisbon.  So  the  outcome 
of  the  expedition  was  not  what  had  been  expected. 
They  had  braved  their  old  enemy,  and  had  done  him 
some  mischief  ;  but  they  had  not  effected  a  revolution 


142         THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

in  Portugal.  "  As  a  freebooting  foray,"  says  Motley, 
"it  could  hardly  be  thought  successful;  although  it 
was  a  splendid  triumph  compared  with  the  result  of 
the  invincible  Armada." 

Shortly  after  the  return  of  the  fleet  startling  news 
came  from  France.  On  the  second  of  August  King 
Henry  III  had  been  assassinated  at  the  palace  of 
Saint  Cloud  by  a  Dominican  friar  named  Jacques 
Clement.  This  event  greatly  concerned  not  only 
France,  but  England  and  the  Low  Countries  as  well. 
In  order  to  explain  the  connection,  let  us  revert  to  the 
situation  in  France. 

For  a  long  period  France  had  been  almost  continu- 
ally distracted  by  civil  war.  There  were  three  dis- 
tinct factions,  then  known  respectively  as  the  Royal- 
ists, the  Leaguers,  and  the  Huguenots.  The  first  con- 
sisted largely  of  the  king's  favorites,  who  held  otBces 
about  him  ;  the  second,  of  the  ultra-Catholics ;  the 
third,  of  the  Protestants.  The  head  of  the  Royalist 
party  was  of  course  Henry  III  of  Valois ;  the  head  of 
the  Leaguers  was  Henry,  duke  of  Guise  ;  and  the  head 
of  the  Huguenots  was,  at  this  time,  Henry  of  Navarre. 
Sometimes  each  party  would  fight  both  of  the  others. 
Sometimes  two  of  them  would  join  forces  for  a  while 
in  order  to  beat  the  third,  after  which  they  could  fight 
each  other  to  their  hearts'  content  until  the  third  had 
rallied  again. 


HOW  BREDA  WAS   TAKEN.  143 

The  king  had  no  .children,  and  at  his  death  the 
house  of  Valois  would  become  extinct.  The  next 
male  heir  was  Henry  of  Navarre,  who  was  at  this  time 
a  Protestant.  It  was  this  fact  which  led  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  League,  secretly,  December  31,  1584.  It 
was  formed  between  the  duke  of  Guise  together  with 
several  of  his  family,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  depu- 
ties of  Philip  of  Spain  on  the  other.  By*this  compact 
the  Leaguers  bound  themselves  to  place  on  the  throne 
of  France  at  the  death  of  the  present  king  the  old 
cardinal  of  Bourbon,  instead  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  the 
true  heir.  It  was  further  agreed  that  all  heretics, 
both  in  France  and  in  the  Netherlands,  should  be 
exterminated.  Philip  promised  to  furnish  at  least 
fifty  thousand  crowns  a  month  toward  the  expenses 
of  the  League.  The  whole  matter  was  kept  pro- 
foundly secret ;  even  Parma  was  not  informed  for 
some  time. 

Philip  had  various  reasons  besides  his  devotion  to 
the  Romish  Church  for  his  interest  in  this  matter. 
In  his  opinion  a  civil  war  in  France  was  always  a 
good  thing,  whatever  it  might  be  about.  So  long  as 
his  neighbors  there  had  their  hands  full  of  fighting  to 
do  at  home,  they  would  not  be  likely  to  meddle  with 
any  of  his  affairs.  Accordingly  he  was  careful  to 
furnish  the  funds  he  had  promised,  to  keep  up  the 
operations  of  the  League,  although  this  secret  outlay 


144  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE   MAUBICE. 

cramped  his  military  movements  in  the  Low  Countries 
not  a  little.  Parma  was  forced  to  do  as  he  could, 
and  was  sometimes  reduced  to  extremities  for  want 
of  money  and  supplies.  And  now  that  Henry  III  was 
dead,  Philip  hoped  that  by  prompt  and  shrewd  man- 
euvering he  might  get  France  for  himself. 

So  Parma  was  privately  directed,  much  to  his  vexa- 
tion, to  invade  France  at  an  early  day  as  if  to  uphold 
the  League.  This  diversion  of  Spanish  troops  and 
resources  from  the  long-standing  war  in  the  Low 
Countries,  for  a  year  or  two,  gave  the  patriots  a  little 
respite,  during  which  they  contrived  to  strike  some 
good  blows  for  their  cause. 

Young  Maurice  of  Nassau  had  been  devoting  him- 
self with  great  ardor  to  the  study  of  military  science 
under  the  learned  Simon  Stevinus,  of  Bruges.  He  and 
his  cousin  Lewis  William,  the  young  stadtholder  of 
Friesland,  were  to  revolutionize  military  matters  in 
the  United  Provinces  at  no  distant  day.  Just  now 
occurred  an  opportunity  for  a  daring  exploit. 

Breda  was  a  city  of  Brabant  lying  only  a  few  miles 
inland  from  the  network  of  waiters  embracing  the 
islands  of  Zealand.  It  was  upon  a  stream  called  the 
Merk.  From  the  days  of  old  it  had  belonged  to 
the  house  of  Nassau.  Its  splendid  castle  had  been 
built  by  Henry  of  Nassau  fifty  years  before.  At 
present  it  was  occupied  by  five  companies  of  Italian 


MOW  SUED  A   WAS   TAKEN.  145 

infantry  and  one  of  cavalry,  commanded  by  Lanza- 
vecchia,  who  was  also  governor  of  the  neighboring 
city  of  Gertruj'denberg. 

One  day  in  February,  1590,  a  boatman  named 
Adrian  van  der  Berg  came  secretly  to  Prince  Maurice 
to  disclose  something  of  importance.  He  lived  some 
eight  or  ten  miles  from  Breda  and  for  a  long  time  had 
supplied  the  castle  with  turf,  the  customary  fuel  of 
the  country.  It  had  occurred  to  him  that  as  his  vessel 
was  hardly  ever  inspected  it  would  be  possible  to  con- 
ceal some  soldiers  in  the  hold,  and  thus  get  possession 
of  the  castle. 

Prince  Maurice  consulted  Barneveld,  who  agreed 
with  him  in  liking  the  idea,  and  proposed  Captain 
Charles  de  Heraugi^re  to  undertake  the  matter.  Only 
a  few  persons  were  taken  into  confidence,  and  the 
arrangements  were  made  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Cap- 
tain ETeraugi^re  selected  his  men  one  by  one,  in  part 
from  his  own  company  and  in  part  from  other  troops. 
There  were  only  sixty-eight  in  all.  They  were  to 
have  embarked  on  the  night  of  Febi-uary  25,  but  the 
boatman  failed  to  keep  the  appointment.  The  next 
night,  being  perhaps  a  little  faint-hearted  when  the 
moment  arrived,  he  sent  two  daring  nephews  in  his 
place. 

The  men  stowed  themselves  away  in  the  hold  of  the 
boat  where  they  had   not  room  even   to   sit  upright. 


146  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

A  flooring  of  boards  overhead  supported  a  quantity 
of  turf,  which  seemed  to  be  the  only  cargo.  After  a 
little  a  head  wind  sprang  up,  bringing  blocks  of  ice 
from  the  sea.  This  made  navigation  so  dangerous 
that  the  boat  had  to  lie  still  till  Thursday,  when  the 
men  were  forced  to  get  out  and  straighten  their 
cramped  limbs  for  a  few  hours  at  a  lonely  castle 
called  Nordam.  That  night  the  wind  became  favor- 
able and  they  embarked  once  more.  But  it  was  not 
till  about  three  o'clock  on  Saturday  afternoon  that 
they  found  themselves  in  the  outer  harbor  at  Breda. 
The  officer  came  on  board,  as  a  matter  of  form, 
talked  a  little  about  the  turf,  stepped  carelessly  into 
the  small  cabin,  which  only  a  sliding  trapdoor  sepa- 
rated from  the  hold  where  the  soldiers  were,  and  went 
away,  promising  to  send  men  to  tow  the  vessel  into 
the  castle  dock.  But  while  moving  slowly  along  the 
boat  had  the  ill  luck  to  strike  some  obstruction  under 
water  and  sprang  a  leak.  The  men  in  the  hold  pres- 
ently found  the  water  up  to  their  knees.  The  boat- 
men were  forced  to  pump  with  might  and  main  lest 
the  vessel  and  all  should  go  to  the  bottom.  In  the 
course  of  two  hours  the  soldiers  sent  from  the  castle 
succeeded  in  towing  it  into  the  inner  harbor  as  unsus- 
pectingly as  the  luckless  Trojans  are  said  to  have 
dragged  the  wooden  horse  full  of  Greeks  into  Troy. 
The  laborers  now  set  to  work  so  eagerly  at  unloading 


sow  BREDA  WAS   TAKEN.  147 

the  tnrf  that,  although  it  was  almost  night,  they  were 
likely  soon  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  cargo  and  dis- 
cover what  was  underneath.  Besides,  the  soldiers  in 
the  hold  were  beginning  to  sneeze  and  cough  in  the 
most  alarming  manner.  Lieutenant  Held,  finding  it 
impossible  to  suppress  his  cough,  entreated  the  man 
at  his  side  to  stab  him  to  the  heart.  But  the  cool 
boatmen  overhead  contrived  to  keep  up  so  much  noise 
by  pumping  and  shouting  that  the  crowd  standing  by 
did  not  hear  anything  suspicious  ;  and  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible the  laborers  were  dismissed  with  drink  money, 
and  orders  to  come  in  the  morning  to  finish. 

Night  closed  in  around  the  little  vessel  and  the 
strong  citadel.  The  fateful  moment  when  the  bold 
adventurers  must  either  triumph  or  die  was  close  at 
hand.  There  was  no  chance  of  retreat.  One  of  the 
boatmen  had  secretly  stolen  away  to  carry  word  to 
Prince  Maurice  that  they  were  within  the  precincts  of 
the  castle,  and  that  the  governor  had  suddenly  gone 
to  Gertruydenberg,  leaving  his  young  nephew  to  com- 
mand Breda.  Captain  Heraugi6re  said  a  few  words 
to  his  comrades  —  words  befitting  a  gallant  leader  of 
brave  men  in  such  a  moment,  and  about  midnight  the 
soldiers  silently  stepped  on  shore.  They  formed  in 
two  parties.  Heraugi^re  led  one  company  to  attack 
the  guardhouse,  while  Captain  Fervet  went  to  seize 
the  arsenal  with  the  other. 


148  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

Encountering  a  sentinel  in  the  darkness  Captain 
Heraugi^re  quickly  overpowered  him  and  forced  him 
to  tell,  in  a  whisper,  how  many  soldiers  composed  the 
garrison. 

"Three  hundred  and  fifty,"  gasped  the  sentinel, 
with  Heraugidre's  hands  still  clutching  his  throat. 

"How  many  did  he  say?"  eagerly  whispered  the 
men  behiud. 

"Only  fifty  of  them,"  replied  their  leader,  striking 
down  at  a  blow  the  captain  of  the  watch,  who  had  just 
emerged  from  the  guardhouse.  The  alarm  brought 
others  with  lights,  but  they  quickly  retreated  into  the 
guardhouse.  The  assailants  fired  upon  them  through 
windows  and  doors,  and  in  a  few  moments  every  man 
of  the  watch  had  fallen.  Meanwhile  Fervet  and  his 
little  band  captured  the  magazine ;  and  the  young 
Lanzavecchia  having  been  wounded,  a  panic  seized 
the  garrison  and  they  fled  across  the  bridge  that  joined 
the  citadel  to  the  town.  Two  hours  before  dawn  came 
Count  Hoheulo  with  the  vanguard  of  Prince  Maurice's 
troops.  Soon  the  prince  himself  arrived  with  several 
officers  of  note  and  a  larger  force,  marching  briskly 
to  the  ringiug  music  of  "  Wilhelmus  van  Nassouwen." 
Before  sunrise  Breda  was  won.  Forty  of  the  garrison 
had  fallen,  but  not  one  of  the  patriots. 

The  terms  of  surrender  were  favorable,  and  the 
burghers  promised  two  months'  wages  to  every  soldier 


HOW  BBEDA   WAS   TAKEN.  149 

of  the  prince's  party.  Maurice  guaranteed  protection 
of  person  and  property,  as  well  as  freedom  of  con- 
science, to  all  who  would  show  themselves  loyal  citi- 
zens. Public  worship  according  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
ritual  was  suspended  for  the  present,  however. 

The  morning  found  young  Maurice  in  possession  of 
his  patrimonial  city  and  castle,  and  there  was  great 
rejoicing  throughout  the  United  Provinces  over  the 
brilliant  exploit.  Parma,  who  was  then  preparing 
to  lead  an  army  into  France,  was  deeply  chagrined  at 
the  loss  of  Breda,  and  expressed  his  opinion  of  the 
behavior  of  its  defenders  by  publicly  beheading  three 
captains  in  Brussels  and  by  removing  Lanzavecchia 
from  the  command  of  Gertruydeuberg. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PARMA    IN   FRANCE,    AND    MAURICE    AT   HOME. 

THOUGH  Henry  of  Navarre  was  evidently  the 
rightful  heir  to  the  throne  of  France,  he  had 
yet  to  win  it  by  the  sword.  As  previously  agreed, 
the  party  of  the  League  set  up  the  old  and  infirm  car- 
dinal of  Bourbon  as  king,  with  the  title  of  Charles  X. 
But  Philip  claimed  that  nothwithstanding  the  Salic 
law,  his  eldest  daughter,  Isabella  Clara  Eugenia, 
ought  to  succeed  to  the  French  crown  in  the  right  of 
her  mother,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  II.  The 
cardinal  of  Bourbon  was  not  likely  to  live  long ;  and 
could  the  claims  of  Henry  be  set  aside,  Philip  was 
ready  to  take  possession  of  France  in  his  daughter's 
name. 

Henry  of  Navarre  had  almost  nothing  of  material 
resources,  but  he  was  full  of  courage  and  hope.  He 
was  at  present  busy  in  besieging  Paris.  By  gaining 
possession  of  the  strategic  points  around  it,  especially 
along  the  Seine  and  Marne,  he  had  cut  off  its  supplies 
and  reduced  the  inhabitants  to  extremities.  It  was 
estimated  that  out  of  about  two  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  as  many  as  twelve  thousand  had  starved 

150 


PABMA  IN  FRANCE.  151 

to  death  before  the  end  of  July.  The  Leaguers, 
under  the  duke  of  Mayenne,  had  been  severely  de- 
feated by  Henry  in  the  famous  battle  of  Ivry,  and 
were  anxiously  waiting  for  Parma  to  come  to  their 
assistance. 

Alexander  could  not  set  out  till  the  beginning  of 
August,  for  want  of  funds.  It  was  so  long  since  his 
army  had  been  paid  that,  in  spite  of  their  attachment 
to  him,  they  had  become  demoralized  and  many  of 
them  were  even  mutinous.  He  was  forced  to  pawn 
his  own  jewels  and  furniture  to  keep  them  from  per- 
ishing. His  urgent  entreaties  in  their  behalf  were 
unheeded  by  his  royal  master,  who  only  reiterated  the 
command  to  relieve  Paris  and  capture  Calais  and  Bou- 
logne. "  Talk  no  more  of  difficulties,  but  conquer 
them,"  was  Philip's  cold  reply  to  all  his  complaints. 

At  length  Parma  set  out  for  France  with  twelve 
thousand  foot  and  three  thousand  horse,  having  re- 
ceived funds  enough  to  make  shift  for  a  time.  He 
joined  Mayenne  not  far  from  Paris,  on  the  twenty- 
second  of  August.  A  few  days  later,  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Marne,  their  allied  forces  encamped 
within  a  mile  or  two  of  the  army  of  Henry.  He  was 
eager  to  give  them  battle,  but,  as  their  camp  was  well 
protected,  he  was  forced  to  wait  until  they  should 
give  him  the  opportunity.  After  seven  days  of  wait- 
ing, the  troops  of  Parma  and  Mayenne  appeared  and 


152         THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

deployed  to  the  right  and  left  in  two  great  wings,  as 
if  about  to  form  their  line  of  battle.  But  by  an 
unforeseen  maneuver  they  proceeded  to  occupy  a 
position  at  a  village  directly  opposite  Laguy  and  con- 
nected with  it  by  a  stone  bridge.  A  heavy  cannonade 
from  this  point,  together  with  a  flanking  movement  by 
another  body  of  their  troops,  soon  carried  Lagny,  and 
Paris  was  relieved. 

The  cavaliers  of  Henry,  many  of  whom  were  vol- 
unteers serving  at  their  own  expense,  were  so  much 
vexed  and  disheartened  at  having  Lagny  thus  taken 
before  their  eyes  without  a  chance  to  fight,  that  they 
rapidly  fell  away  from  his  army.  Meanwhile,  Parma 
captured  Corbeil  after  a  month's  siege,  which  opened 
the  Seine  also.  Immense  quantities  of  provisions 
poured  into  starving  Paris,  so  that  there  was  no  longer 
any  danger  of  its  being  taken  at  present.  As  Parma 
had  now  accomplished  the  objects  for  which  he  had 
been  sent  to  France,  and  as  there  were  many  sick 
among  his  troops,  not  to  mention  his  own  failing 
health,  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  Brussels  in  Novem- 
ber. But  hardly  was  his  back  turned  before  the 
Huguenot  forces  recaptured  both  Lagny  and  Corbeil. 
The  rivers  Seine  and  Marue  having  thus  been  closed 
again,  Paris  was  once  more  threatened  with  famine. 
So  Parma's  task  was  all  undone  in  less  time  than  he 
bad  spent  in  accomplishing  it. 


MAUBICE  AT  HOME.  158 

Meanwhile  Prince  Maurice  had  been  effecting  a 
good  deal  in  a  different  line.  Heretofore  there  had 
not  been  much  system,  and  still  less  science,  in  the 
war  department  of  the  United  Provinces.  The  army 
had  been  made  up  chiefly  of  domestic  militia  and  for- 
eign hirelings.  They  were  poorly  drilled  and  badly 
governed,  as  well  as  irregularly  paid.  During  his 
years  of  study  and  thought  the  young  Maurice  had 
become  convinced  that  things  might  be  much  better 
managed.  It  was  evident  that  a  good  deal  of  fighting 
was  yet  to  be  done,  and  he  resolved  that  his  country 
should  have  the  benefit  of  whatever  was  anywhere 
known  of  the  art  of  war.  He  had  been  studying  with 
this  sole  end  in  view.  His  cousin  Lewis  William,  the 
young  stadtholder  of  Friesland,  was  also  hard  at  work 
in  the  same  line. 

Whatever  the  Romans  knew  in  their  day,  or  the 
Macedonians  in  theirs,  about  laying  out  camps  or 
buUding  bridges  or  executing  difficult  evolutions, 
Maurice  and  Lewis  William  dug  out  of  books  and 
revived.  It  had  been  the  custom  for  troops  to  move 
in  great  solid  squares,  wheeling  slowly  and  clumsily 
all  one  way,  and  scarcely  able  to  wheel  at  all  unless 
they  had  ample  room.  Lewis  William  sensibly  re- 
flected that  in  a  country  full  of  swamps,  dikes,  and 
other  inconvenient  features,  it  would  be  well  to  teach 
the  men  how  to  manage  when  they  were  in  a  tight 


154  THE  DAYS   OF  FRINGE  MAURICE. 

place.  So  he  drilled  them  in  small  bodies,  teaching 
them  a  variety  of  useful  maneuvers  which  could  be 
executed  when  grand  evolutions  were  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. When  the  old  colonels  saw  what  could  be  done 
i-n  this  way  they  ceased  to  object  to  the  new  tactics. 
Prince  Maurice  found  occasion  to  reconstruct  almost 
everything  connected  with  the  army,  from  the  general 
organization  down  to  the  minor  details  of  equipment 
and  pay.  In  some  points  the  Spanish  army  may  have 
served  him  as  a  model,  as  it  served  the  English.  But 
in  at  least  one  it  served  as  a  warning.  The  Spanish 
soldiery  had  always  been  notorious  for  marauding  and 
mutiny.  The  dreadful  "Antwerp  Fury,"  in  which 
some  eight  thousand  citizens  perished,  was  the  work 
of  mutineers.  During  this  very  summer  of  1590  a 
considerable  portion  of  Parma's  army  was  in  open 
mutiny  at  Coutray.  The  cause  was  simply  that  the 
king  allowed  his  troops  to  go  unpaid,  sometimes  for 
two  years  together.  In  such  circumstances  the  sol- 
diers could  hardly  be  blamed  for  rebellion.  Maurice 
resolved,  as  the  first  step  toward  insuring  good 
order  and  obedience,  that  the  Netherland  armies 
should  henceforth  be  promptly  and  fairly  paid,  come 
what  might.  He  established  efficient  discipline,  and 
severely  punished  any  who  were  found  guilty  of 
plundering.  His  soldiers,  being  well  and  promptly 
paid,  had  no  occasion  to  steal,  and  his  camp  had  the 


MAURICE  AT  HOME.  155 

orderly  air  of  a  well-governed  city  in  time  of  peace. 
The  farmers  would  bring  their  produce  for  sale  in 
preference  to  seeking  any  other  market,  so  sure  were 
they  of  being  well  treated  and  honestly  paid. 

Some  changes  of  importance  were  also  made  in 
respect  to  the  arms  used.  At  this  period,  though 
gunpowder  had  been  invented  a  long  time  before,  the 
weapons  and  armor  of  earlier  ages  —  the  lance,  pike, 
halberd,  buckler,  and  coat  of  mail  —  had  not  disap- 
peared from  the  field.  Men  had  not  fully  learned 
how  much  more  could  be  effected  by  calling  the  forces 
of  nature  to  fight  for  them  than  by  human  muscles 
and  sinews.  Most  of  the  infantry  still  fought  with 
pikes  and  halberds.  Prince  Maurice  doubled  the 
number  of  firearms,  though  he  retained  thirty  pike- 
men  in  each  company,  as  well  as  three  buckler  men  to 
attend  upon  the  captain  for  his  personal  protection. 
He  did  much  moi'e  with  artillery,  also,  than  had  been 
attempted  before.  His  siege  guns  were  48-pounders 
and  24-pounders,  his  field  pieces  12-pounders  ;  and 
he  took  care  to  provide  a  course  of  instruction  for 
military  engineers  at  the  university  of  Leyden. 

The  matter  of  transportation  was  no  longer  left  to 
take  care  of  itself,  for  Maurice  perceived  how  much 
might  be  done  by  using  the  canals  for  conveying 
troops  and  supplies.  These  watery  highways  every- 
where enabled  his  men   to   move   hither   and  thither 


156  THE  DAYS   OF  FEINCE  MAURICE. 

without  fatigue  or  noise  ;  their  appearing  and  disap- 
pearing seemed  almost  magical.  But  perhaps  the 
greatest  of  his  innovations  was  in  connection  with 
the  use  of  the  spade.  He  considered  earthworks  and 
trenches  of  so  much  importance  that  he  made  the 
pay  of  the  miners  greater  than  that  of  the  common 
soldiers.  If  a  soldier  served  in  that  work,  he  had  a 
handsome  daily  addition  to  his  ordinary  wages. 

So  between  the  strict  discipline,  the  superior  drill, 
the  improved  arms,  the  better  engineering,  and  the 
prompt  payment,  the  army  of  the  United  Provinces 
shortly  became  a  model  for  the  rest  of  E^urope.  In 
the  campaign  of  1591  the  young  commander  gave 
some  illustrations  of  the  way  in  which  he  might  be 
expected  to  proceed. 

There  were  several  different  matters  on  hand,  and 
Parma  was  to  be  kept  in  doubt  as  to  which  Prince 
Maurice  would  undertake  first.  In  the  region  of  the 
river  Waal  lay  three  important  cities  still  held  by  the 
Spaniards :  Gertruydenberg,  Bois  le  Due,  and  Nym- 
wegen.  Upon  the  river  Yssel,  which  flows  northward 
through  the  province  of  Gelderland  to  the  Zuyder 
Zee,  lay  Zutpheu  and  Deventer,  whose  Spanish  garri- 
sons controlled  the  river,  and  in  great  measure  shut  off 
communication  between  the  provinces  on  either  side  of 
it.  Then  away  to  the  north  was  Groningen,  and  some 
other  fortified  points  still  to  be  won. 


MAUBICE  AT  HOME.  157 

At  the  opening  of  the  campaign  Prince  Maurice 
threatened  Gertruydenberg  and  Bois  le  Due  so  seri- 
ously that  Parma  was  obliged  to  send  to  those  places 
reinforcements  which  he  could  not  well  spare.  This 
was  precisely  what  Maurice  desired  ;  and  before  any 
change  of  plan  was  suspected  he  was  in  the  vicinit}' 
of  Zutphen  with  something  of  an  army. 

Early  one  morning  the  guard  at  the  gate  of  the 
great  fort  opposite  Zutphen  saw  a  few  peasants  out- 
side with  their  wives,  having  for  sale  baskets  of  eggs, 
butter,  and  cheese.  So  tlie  soldiers  as  usual  came  out 
to  buy.  While  they  were  bargaining  over  their  market 
stuff,  all  of  a  sudden  one  of  the  supposed  women 
drew  a  pistol  and  shot  a  soldier  dead.  At  the  signal 
the  rest  of  the  pretended  peasants  threw  off  their  dis- 
guises, and  in  a  few  minutes  all  the  guard  were 
overpowered.  The  troops  lying  in  ambush  darted  in, 
and  presently  raised  their  flag  over  the  great  fort 
of  Zutphen,  without  having  lost  a  man.  Within  a 
week  the  town  also  surrendered  to  Maurice,  who  at 
once  marched  down  to  Deventer,  seven  miles  below, 
and  sent  his  artillery  and  munitions  by  boats. 

Deventer  was  commanded  by  Count  Herman  van 
den  Berg,  who  was  own  cousin  to  Prince  Maurice,  his 
mother  being  a  sister  of  William  the  Silent.  There 
were  several  of  these  young  Van  den  Bergs  in  the 
Spanish  army,  and  it  repeatedly  happened,  as    now, 


158  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE   MAURICE. 

that  they  had  to  fight  against  their  Nassau  kinsmen. 
At  this  time  a  Spanish  officer  jocosely  remarked : 
"We  shall  now  have  a  droll  siege  —  cousins  on  the 
outside,  cousins  in  the  inside.  There  will  be  one  or 
two  sham  fights  and  then  the  cousins  will  make  it 
up  and  arrange  matters  to  suit  themselves."  The 
young  Count  van  den  Berg  was  deeply  hurt  at  this 
gibe  ;  and  at  mass  next  morning,  in  the  presence  of 
all  the  officers,  solemnly  vowed  never  to  give  up  the 
city  until  he  was  obliged  to  be  carried  from  the  walls. 
He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  but  Prince  Maurice 
and  Count  Lewis  William  were  too  much  for  him. 
The  prince  had  not  studied  military  engineering  in 
vain.  Within  a  few  days  the  town  was  completely 
invested,  the  batteries  began  to  play,  and  a  breach 
was  soon  made  in  the  walls.  An  assault  followed,  and 
though  it  was  not  completely  successful,  the  citizens 
saw  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  hold  out  much 
longer,  and  clamored  for  a  capitulation.  Van  den  Berg 
had  been  wounded  in  the  eye,  so  that  he  was  wholly 
blind  for  the  time ;  and  he  did  not  refuse  to  surrender. 
His  cousins  received  him  very  cordially  at  headquar- 
ters, and  he  was  afterwards  sent  in  Maurice's  own 
coach  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  attended  by  the  prince's 
own  surgeon.  While  the  cousins  were  together  they 
chatted  freely  about  military  matters.  "I've  often 
told  Verdugo,"  said  Count  Herman,  "that  the  States 


MAURICE  AT  HOME.  159 

had  no  power  to  make  a  regular  siege,  nor  to  come 
with  proper  artillery  into  the  field  ;  and  he  agreed  with 
me.  But  we  were  both  wrong,  for  I  now  see  the 
contrary." 

Verdugo  and  the  Van  den  Bergs  had  occasion  to  see 
this  a  good  many  times.  Count  Louis,  a  younger 
member  of  the  family,  lost  his  life  in  an  unsuccessful 
defense  of  Steenwyck  the  next  summer ;  and  Count 
Frederic  was  obliged  to  surrender  the  strong  fortress 
of  Coeworden  to  his  Nassau  cousins.  It  was  the 
more  mortifying  because  when  Maurice  had  first  sum- 
moned the  place  to  surrender  Count  Frederic  had 
boldly  replied  :  "  Tell  him  first  to  beat  down  my  walls 
as  flat  as  the  ditch,  and  then  bring  five  or  six  storms. 
Six  months  after  that  I  will  consider  whether  I  will 
send  a  trumpet." 

The  veteran  Verdugo  soon  conceived  a  high  respect 
for  the  military  prowess  of  the  young  commander. 
"I  have  been  informed,"  he  wrote  in  an  intercepted 
letter,  "  that  Count  Maurice  of  Nassau  wishes  to  fight 
me.  Had  I  the  opportunity,  I  assure  you  that  I 
should  not  fail  him  ;  for  even  if  ill  luck  were  my  por- 
tion, I  should  at  least  not  escape  the  honor  of  being 
beaten  by  such  a  personage.  I  beg  you  to  tell  him  so, 
with  my  affectionate  compliments." 

The  skill,  the  boldness,  the  celerity  of  Maurice's 
operations  amazed  everybody.     While  he  was  busy  in 


160  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE   MAURICE. 

reducing  several  places  far  to  the  north,  around  Gro- 
niugen,  Pariua  thought  it  safe  to  make  a  diversion  by 
laying  siege  to  a  fort  which  Maurice  had  built  near 
Nymwegen.  Hardly  had  he  begun  the  siege,  when,  in 
spite  of  broad  rivers  and  vast  quagmires  lying  be- 
tween, Maurice  and  his  army  were  on  the  spot,  and  by 
a  shrewd  stratagem  compelled  him  to  retreat.  And 
now,  while  everybody  was  waiting  to  see  him  besiege 
Nymwegen,  he  suddenly  appeared  before  Hulst,  twelve 
miles  from  Antwerp,  and  took  it  in  five  days.  Steen- 
wyck  and  Coeworden  fell  in  the  following  campaign. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    CLOSE    OF    PARMA's    CAREER. 

THERE  was  now  at  hand  an  event  which  had  an 
important  bearing  upon  the  fortunes  of  the 
Netherland  war.  The  great  general  who  for  fourteen 
years  had  been  faithfully  serving  Philip  of  Spain  was 
about  to  leave  his  unfinished  task  forever.  There  were 
circumstances  of  peculiar  hardship  and  injustice  to 
embitter  his  last  days.  For  a#  long  time  his  health 
had  been  impaired,  yet  his  remarkable  determination, 
as  well  as  the  urgency  of  his  duties,  forbade  him  to 
rest.  But  the  treatment  of  Philip  was  harder  than 
all.  It  had  been  evident  to  Parma  for  two  or  three 
years  that  underneath  the  smooth  words  of  the  king 
were  concealed  a  deep-seated  distrust  and  ill  will. 
Although  proudly  conscious  that  he  had  never  swerved 
in  the  least  from  his  loyalty,  he  knew  that  the  ever- 
suspicious  monarch  had  set  spies  to  watch  his  every 
movement,  under  pretense  of  giving  then-  counsel  and 
aid.  The  king  had  requested  him  to  confer  regularly 
with  Mendoza,  Tassis,  and  Moreo ;  he  had  enjoined 
it   likewise    upon    them    "  to  assist,  correspond,  and 

16X 


162  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUEIGE. 

harmonize  in  every  way  "  with  Parma  ;  but  they  under- 
stood very  well  what  was  really  to  be  done,  and  were 
more  than  willing  to  do  it.  "I  must  make  bold  to 
remind  your  majesty,"  secretly  wrote  Moreo  in  June, 
1590,  "  that  there  never  was  an  Italian  prince  who 
failed  to  pursue  his  own  ends,  and  that  there  are  few 
in  the  world  that  are  not  wishing  to  become  greater 
than  they  are."  Yet  the  personage  against  whom  this 
insinuation  was  aimed  had  once  been  on  the  point  of 
putting  to  death  with  his  own  hand  one  who  had  ven- 
tured to  propose  his  securing  the  sovereignty  of  the 
Netherlands  for  himself. 

In  the  course  of  that  year  Commander  Moreo  sud- 
denly died,  but  slanders  regarding  Parma  did  not  cease. 
Other  pens  eagerW  cai1*ied  on  the  work  of  detraction. 
Alexander,  aware  of  the  misrepresentations  made  to 
the  king,  indignantly  remonstrated  with  him  for  not 
putting  a  stop  to  them,  or  at  least  apprising  him  of 
the  sources  from  which  they  came.  It  was  not  in 
Philip  II  to  deal  truly  with  anybody ;  and  so  he  care- 
lessly replied  that  he  did  not  remember  receiving  any 
such  communications,  or  at  any  rate  he  had  paid  so 
little  regard  to  them  that  he  had  lost  the  letters.  His 
well-beloved  and  faithful  nephew  need  have  no  fear  of 
such  calumnies  doing  him  the  smallest  damage. 

So  the  spies  continued  their  sly  insinuations  as  to 
Alexander's  motives  and  aims ;  and  after  a   year  or 


CLOSE   OF  PA B MA'S  CABEEB.  163 

two  Philip  resolved  to  remove  him  from  his  com- 
mand. But  instead  of  doing  it  frankly  and  openly 
he  set  about  the  matter  in  the  crooked,  stealthy  way 
which  he  always  chose.  In  February,  1592,  he  wrote 
with  seeming  affection  :  "  Nephew,  you  know  the  con- 
fidence which  I  have  always  placed  in  you,  and  all 
that  I  have  placed  in  your  hands  ;  and  I  know  how 
much  you  are  to  me,  and  how  earnestly  you  work  in 
my  service  ;  and  so,  if  I  could  have  you  at  the  same 
time  in  several  places,  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to 
me." 

After  this  artful  beginning  he  went  on  to  say  that 
just  then  it  was  very  necessary  that  Alexander  should 
come  to  Spain,  in  order  to  advise  with  him  about 
several  important  matters.  Accordingly  he  was  to  put 
all  the  Netherland  matters  into  the  hands  of  the  old 
Count  Mausfeld,  who  was  to  be  assisted  by  the  mar- 
quis of  Ceralbo ;  and  as  soon  as  possible  he  was  to  set 
out  for  Genoa,  where  he  was  to  embark  for  Spain. 

Now  this  marquis  of  Ceralbo  was  another  of 
Philip's  spies,  lately  come  from  the  court  on  purpose 
to  carry  on  his  secret  designs  against  his  "dear 
nephew."  At  his  setting  out  from  the  Netherlands 
the  king  had  given  him  minute  iustructious  in  writing, 
how  to  manage  the  removal  of  Parma.  If  Alexander 
should  consent  to  go  to  Spain  as  desired,  Ceralbo 
would  only  need  to  assist  his  departure,  and   was  to 


164  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

m 
expatiate  meanwhile  on  the  honor  of  being  summoned 

to   take   counsel   with    his    majesty.     But    otherwise 

Ceralbo  was  to  tell  him  plainly  that  he  could  choose 

only  between   going   to  Spain   voluntarily  and   being 

taken  thither  in  public  disgrace. 

However,  this  carefully  prepared  program  was  not 
carried  out.  In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1592, 
Parma  went  for  the  second  time  into  France,  in  order 
to  relieve  the  city  of  Rouen,  then  closely  besieged  by 
Henry.  It  was  done  by  the  command  of  Philip,  and 
quite  against  his  own  judgment,  since  during  his 
absence  Maurice  could  do  what  he  liked,  almost  un- 
opposed. Although  hampered  by  lack  of  men  and 
money,  as  well  as  the  necessity  of  consulting  May- 
enne,  who  commanded  the  French  Catholic  forces,  he 
at  length  relieved  Rouen,  made  a  masterly  retreat 
from  a  difficult  position,  and  returned  to  the  Low 
Countries  early  in  the  summer. 

Ill  health  compelled  him  to  go  at  once  to  Spa,  to 
try  the  medicinal  waters  ;  and  the  plan  for  removing 
him  from  the  command  was  still  delayed.  Then 
Philip  resolved  to  send  him  on  a  third  campaign  into 
France ;  and  late  in  the  autumn,  after  Parma  had 
gained  a  little  strength,  he  began  to  prepare  for  it. 
A  complication  of  diseases  rendered  him  wholly  unfit 
for  such  a  task ;  but  with  dauntless  resolution  the  great 
general   caused   himself    to   be   daily  lifted  into  his 


CLOSE  OF  PABMxVS  CAB  FEB.  165 

saddle,  and  gave  his  personal  supervision  to  the 
preparations  for  the  approaching  campaign.  But  his 
exhausted  frame  could  endure  no  more.  At  the  close 
of  a  busy  day  —  December  3,  1592  —  in  the  city  of 
Arras,  he  went  to  his  couch  as  usual,  but  presently 
fainted  and  expired.  He  was  only  in  the  forty-seventh 
year  of  his  age,  but  his  labors  and  hardships  had  been 
so  excessive  that  his  early  death  was  not  strange.  He 
was  interred  at  Parma  ;  and,  as  he  had  desired,  his 
body  was  robed  in  tlie  garb  of  the  Capuchin  monks. 

Had  Philip  possessed  the  ordinary  sensibilities  of 
human  nature,  he  must  have  felt  a  keen  remorse  on 
remembering  what  he  was  about  to  do,  if  Parma's 
death  had  not  deprived  him  of  the  opportunity. 
Whatever  the  great  commander  had  been  to  others, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  was  absolutely  loyal  to 
his  master.  But  Philip  probably  could  not  appreciate 
the  fidelity  which  certainly  he  had  never  deserved. 
As  little  could  he  comprehend  the  vastness  of  the 
work  which  Alexander  of  Parma  had  accomplished. 
A  place  was  now  vacant  which,  whether  Philip  real- 
ized it  or  not,  nobody  else  could  fill.  So  much  the 
worse  for  the  despotic  king ;  so  much  tlie  bet- 
ter for  the  struggling  republic  whose  people  desired 
above  everything  else  to  be  free. 

For  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  Parma's  death 
the  management  of  affairs  in  the  Obedient  Provinces 


166         THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

was  in  the  hands  of  old  Count  Mansfeld,  between 
whom  and  the  other  Spanish  generals  there  was  end- 
less quarreling.  Philip  was  meanwhile  endeavoring 
to  pave  the  way  foi"  another  nephew  of  his  to  rule 
over  France  as  well  as  the  Low  Countries.  His  plan 
was  to  have  the  Archduke  Ernest,  brother  of  the 
Emperor  Rudolph,  marry  the  Infanta  and  claim  the 
French  crown  as  a  descendant  of  Henry  II.  But 
nobod}'  in  France  could  see  any  possible  use  in  mak- 
ing Ernest  king ;  and  on  the  whole  Philip  decided  to 
keep  his  daughter  for  some  more  promising  party. 
However,  early  in  January,  1594,  he  sent  the  arch- 
duke to  govern  the  Low  Countries  and  carry  on  the 
war,  as  the  successor  of  the  great  Alexander  of 
Parma.  He  presented  a  striking  contrast  to  his  pre- 
decessor, being  a  rather  weak  character,  of  a  mild 
and  melancholy  turn,  and  physically  unfitted  for 
military  life.  Besides,  being  poor,  he  could  furnish 
neither  men  nor  money  for  carrying  on  the  war,  how- 
ever strongly  his  devotion  to  Romanism  inclined  him 
to  do  so.  He  rather  disliked  the  Spaniards,  partly 
perhaps  on  account  of  his  disappointment  about 
marrying  Philip's  daughter,  and  thus  becoming  king 
of  France.  He  made  himself  disagreeable  rather 
than  otherwise  to  his  Spanish  officers  ;  and  although 
he  tried  to  be  agreeable  to  the  people  of  the  obedient 
Netherlands,  he  did  not  succeed. 


CLOSE   OF  PABMA'S   CAREER.  167 

Upon  the  whole  the  brief  administration  of  Arch- 
duke Ernest  did  not  amount  to  much.  Thei'e  was 
nothing  done  in  the  military  line,  except  that  most  of 
the  Spanish  troops  joined  in  an  open  and  well-organ- 
ized mutiny  on  account  of  their  having  gone  without 
pay  till  they  were  ready  to  starve.  The  council  at 
Brussels  was  forced  to  negotiate  with  the  mutineers, 
who  would  hear  of  no  submission  until  their  back 
pay,  amounting  to  three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
crowns,  should  be  handed  over.  While  they  waited 
they  lived  at  their  ease  in  fortified  cities,  compelling 
the  government  to  support  them  handsomely  in  order 
to  keep  them  from  utterly  devouring  the  country. 
This  state  of  things  continued  till  long  after  the 
appointment  of  the  archduke's  successor. 

But  in  the  days  of  Archduke  Ernest  a  good  deal 
was  attempted  in  what  Motley  calls  "  the  department 
of  assassination."  Philip  had  often  pondered  upon 
the  probably  happy  results  of  removing  Queen  Eliza- 
beth from  the  stage  where  she  was  so  frequently 
interfering  with  his  cherished  designs,  and  had  more 
than  once  attempted  to  open  the  door  for  the  great 
queen's  exit,  as  he  had  done  for  that  of  various  other 
inconvenient  personages.  A  fresh  scheme  was  care- 
fully arranged  now,  the  assassin  hired  being  Dr. 
Lopez,  the  royal  physician.  He  was  to  be  paid  fifty 
thousand  crowns,  besides  a  handsome  dowry  for  his 


1G8  THE  DAYS   OF  PBIKGE  MAUHIGK 

daughter.  "While  he  was  eagerly  waiting  for  the 
money,  which  was  to  be  paid  in  advance,  the  con- 
spiracy was  discovered,  a  number  of  persons  being 
involved  in  it,  and  they  were  executed  at  London  in 
the  spring  of  1594.  Another  of  Philip's  elaborate 
plots  was  arranged  for  the  murder  of  Prince  Maurice. 
In  this  case  also  the  assassin  was  detected  before  he 
had  committed  the  deed,  and  was  executed  in  June, 
1594.  A  second  attempt  in  the  autumn  came  out 
in  the  same  way.  Upon  the  whole,  the  department 
of  assassination,  though  more  active,  succeeded  no 
better  than  that  of  military  affairs.  Queen  Elizabeth, 
Prince  Maurice,  Barneveld,  young  Frederick  Henry, 
and  other  obnoxious  personages  continued  to  live, 
in  spite  of  all  that  Philip  could  do. 

Henry  of  Navarre,  now  Henry  IV,  had  often  been 
in  peril  of  his  life  by  dagger  or  poison  in  the  hands 
of  Philip's  paid  assassins ;  but  since  his  professed 
c§nversion  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  in  1593 — a 
politic  measure  that  had  been  a  grievous  blow  to  the 
Protestant  cause  —  Philip  had  contrived  a  scheme  of 
quite  a  different  nature.  It  was  nothing  less  than  to 
marry  his  daughter  Clara  to  Henry  IV,  thus  insuring 
a  lasting  peace  between  France  and  Spain,  and  finally 
detaching  Henry  from  his  Netherland  allies. 

Philip  secretly  sent  to  propose  this  plan,  and  Henry 
actually  listened  to  the  proposition.     Presently  it  was 


CLOSE   OF  PABMA'S   GABEEB.  169 

whispered  about  the  Low  Countries  that  the  French 
king  had  ver}'  privately  dispatched  a  confidential 
agent  to  Spain,  and  the  Dutch  statesmen  were  shrewd 
enough  to  guess  what  it  meant.  Soon  they  received 
positive  information  that  Henry  had  been  promised 
the  hand  of  the  Infanta  and  a  good  bargain  for  his 
kingdom  of  Navarre,  provided  he  would  abandon  his 
alliance  with  the  United  Provinces  and  Queen  Eliza- 
beth. It  was  further  stated  that  the  Infanta  her- 
self would  not  object  to  the  marriage. 

At  this  time,  however,  Henry  IV  was  sending  an 
envoy  to  the  Dutch  Republic  and  to  England  with  the 
most  profuse  and  conciliatory  explanations  regarding 
his  recent  conversion  to  Romanism  and  his  purposes 
for  the  future.  He  assured  them  that  he  would  never 
think  of  a  peace  with  Spain  in  which  they  should  not 
be  included,  and  he  should  have  as  much  care  for 
their  interests  as  for  his  own.  In  fact,  he  did  not 
think  it  at  all  probable  that  he  could  ever  be  on  good 
terms  with  Philip  under  any  circumstances,  and  he 
earnestly  solicited  the  States  still  to  assist  and 
cooperate  with  him,  as  they  had  generously  done 
heretofore,  in  fighting  their  common  enemy. 

Of  course  it  was  a  great  object  with  the  States  to 
have  war  openly  declared  by  Henry  and  vigorously 
pushed.  So  they  received  his  assurances  as  if  they 
fully  believed  them,  and  promised  to  send  him  a  force 


170  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

of  three  thousand  foot  and  five  hundred  horse  with 
which  to  carry  on  the  campaign  of  1594  in  the  prov- 
inces of  Artois  and  Hainault.  But  military  operations 
went  on  languidly,  and  nothing  was  accomplished  in 
that  quarter  during  the  year. 

Tlie  secret  negotiations  for  peace,  with  the  hand  of 
the  Spanish  princess,  came  to  nothing,  and  at  last 
Henry  took  a  decided  stand.  The  year  1595  opened 
with -the  formal  declaration  of  war  against  Spain, 
whicTi  the  Netherlanders  had  so  long  desired  that 
Henry  should  make.  Its  language  was  strong,  setting 
forth  his  grievances  through  Philip's  intrigues  to 
keep  up  civil  wars  in  France,  and  actual  attempts 
upon  Henry's  life.  Certainly  there  was  weight  in 
reasons  like  these,  and  the  States  could  now  depend 
more  upon  Henry's  alliance  than  they  had  been  able 
to  do  before. 

Archduke  Ernest  died  Feb*ruary  20,  1595,  at  the 
age  of  forty-two,  having  been  governor-general  of  the 
Obedient  Provinces  scarcely  a  year.  Count  Fuentes 
was  left  in  charge  of  affairs  till  the  pleasure  of  Philip 
should  be  made  known.  The  count  was  a  very  stir- 
ring and  vigorous  personage,  though  more  than  twenty 
years  older  than  Ernest.  But  the  grandees  of  the 
Provinces  were  vexed  at  the  appointment  of  a  Span- 
iard, especially  a  near  relative  of  the  terrible  duke  of 
Alva,  whom  Fuentes  resembled  somewhat  in  person 


CLOSE   OF  PABMA'S   CABEEB.  171 

as  well  as  in  character.  So  his  temporary  admin- 
istration was  neither  acceptable  nor  very  successful. 
His  military  movements  were  chiefly  within  the  French 
borders,  where  he  captured  Doui-luy  and  Cambra}'. 
Nor  was  any  marked  advantage  gained  by  Prince 
Maurice  during  the  year. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    FIRST    YEAR    OF    ARCHDUKE    ALBERT. 

NEARLY  a  year  after  the  death  of  Archduke 
Ernest,  Philip  II  made  up  his  mind  to  appoint 
another  of  his  Austrian  nephews  to  fill  the  vacant 
place  ;  and  in  January,  1596,  the  new  governor-general 
arrived  at  Brussels.  He  was  the  Archduke  Albert, 
brother  of  Emperor  Rodolph,  and  cardinal  of  Toledo. 
In  due  time  he  was  also  to  espouse  the  Infanta  of 
Spain.  In  order  to  marry  he  would  of  course  be 
obliged  to  lay  off  the  robes  of  his  ecclesiastical  office, 
and  with  them  to  give  up  the  princely  reveuues  of  the 
richest  see  in  Christendom.  But  he  made  a  prudent 
arrangement  with  his  expected  successor,  by  which  he 
would  still  receive  about  one  sixth  of  the  annual 
income  after  resigning  the  office. 

Archduke  Albert  was  at  this  time  about  thirty-five 
years  of  age.  He  was  a  small,  thin  man,  with  light 
hair  and  beard,  a  pale  complexion,  and  the  heavy 
lower  jaw  of  the  house  of  Burgundy.  Having  lived 
much  at  his  uncle's  court,  whom  he  greatly  admired 
as  the  most  illustrious  of  sovereigns,  he  was  haughty 
and  taciturn,  as  it  was  considered  the   correct  thing 

m 


FIBST   YEAR   OF  ARCHDUKE  ALBERT.    173 

for  11  high  and  mighty  Spaniard  to  be.  Whenever  the 
mask  of  reserve  was  not  sufficient  to  hide  his  real 
feelings  he  could  add  lies.  These  traits  did  not 
endear  him  to  his  people  ;  he  reminded  them  too  much 
of  Philip  himself.  To  do  him  justice,  however,  he 
had  his  good  points.  He  was  industrious  and  lilced 
to  manage  affairs  ;  he  was  regular  and  temperate  in 
his  habits,  he  knew  several  languages,  had  given 
attention  to  mathematics,  and  claimed  to  be  some- 
thing of  a  general.  But  the  great  officers  and  states- 
men who  had  figured  in  the  Provinces  in  past  years 
were  now  gone ;  and  though  there  were  plenty  of 
nobles  hanging  around  the  court  seeking  offices  aud 
emoluments,  the  new  governor-general  did  not  find 
himself  ably  assisted  when  anything  serious  was  to 
be  done. 

Before  long  Albert  took  the  field  in  person,  with 
an  army  of  fifteen  thousand  foot  aud  three  thousand 
horse,  which  he  had  assembled  at  Valenciennes.  For 
mouths  tlie  French  king  had  been  besieging  the  town 
of  La  F^re,  an  important  position  in  the  north  of 
France,  which  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  League. 
In  order  to  draw  him  away  from  the  siege.  Archduke 
Albert  detached  De  Rosne,  with  four  thousand  men,  to 
attack  Calais,  which  had  an  inexperienced  aud  rather 
weak  commander.  De  Rosne  soon  got  possession  of 
the  fortress  commanding  the  harbor ;  and  of  the  city 


174  THE  DxiYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

itself,  all  but  the  citadel,  into  which  the  garrison 
retreated,  agreeing  to  surrender  at  the  end  of  six 
days  unless  sooner  relieved.  Henry  IV,  then  at  Bou- 
logne, lost  no  time  in  demanding  assistance  from  his 
friends  the  Netherlanders,  as  well  as  from  Queen 
Elizabeth.  Prince  Maurice  responded  in  person  ;  his 
expedition  arrived  off  Calais  April  17, 1596 — the  very 
day  its  garrison  retreated  into  the  citadel.  The  great 
fortress  commanding  the  port  being  already  in  the 
enemy's  hands,  not  a  vessel  could  enter.  As  to 
Queen  Elizabeth,  she  had  promptly  mustered  six 
thousand  troops ;  but  before  sending  them  across 
from  Dover  she  dispatched  Sir  Robert  Sidney  over 
to  Boulogne  to  explain  to  the  impatient  Henry  that 
she  was  quite  willing  to  do  her  best  to  save  Calais 
from  falling  into  Spanish  hands,  but  in  that  case  she 
expected  that  city  to  be  henceforth  hers.  If  Henry 
could  not  keep  it  without  her  help,  she  would  relieve 
him  of  it  altogether,  with  great  pleasure. 

Henry  was  astonished  and  indignant  at  this  cool 
proposal  and  did  not  scruple  to  say  so  to  the  queen's 
envoy,  who  reddened  with  shame  and  could  not  look 
the  king  in  the  face.  How  could  the  queen  thus 
take  advantage  of  her  ally's  distress  ?  To  accept 
such  a  proposal  would  be  as  disgraceful  on  his  part  as 
it  had  been  on  hers  to  make  it.  Better  lose  Calais  a 
hundred  times  than  to  save  it  thus. 


FIB  ST   YEAR   OF  ARCHDUKE  ALBERT.    176 

Sidney  suggested  with  embarrassment  that  possibly 
her  majesty  would  be  satisfied  if  she  might  keep 
Calais  for  her  lifetime,  or  even  for  a  single  year.  But 
the  king  grew  only  the  more  indignant,  and  Sidney 
had  to  return  without  having  extorted  any  pledge 
from  him,  notwithstanding  which  he  assured  Henry 
that  the  earl  of  Essex,  with  eight  thousand  troops, 
would  soon  arrive.  Meanwhile,  on  the  fifth  night  of 
the  truce,  two  or  three  hundred  soldiers  were  gotten 
into  the  citadel,  not  without  extreme  peril.  The 
young  commander  was  so  rash  as  to  begin  fighting 
again  the  next  day  on  the  strength  of  this  trifling 
reinforcement.  As  the  six  days  had  not  expired,  the 
Spanish  commander  was  enraged  at  this  breach  of 
faith,  and  after  a  severe  cannonade  ordered  the  citadel 
to  be  stormed.  The  first  assault  was  repulsed,  mainly 
by  the  desperate  valor  of  some  Dutch  companies  of 
the  garrison,  most  of  whom  perished  on  the  spot. 
The  second  carried  the  citadel  and  there  was  a  great 
massacre  of  both  citizens  and  soldiers.  Calais  was 
once  more  in  the  hands  of  Spain,  which  was  no  less 
disastrous  for  the  Netherlands  and  for  Queen  Eliza- 
beth than  for  Henry  himself. 

Nevertheless,  there  was  a  project  already  on  foot 
which  promised  partly  to  offset  the  loss  of  Calais,  so 
far  as  the  English  and  Dutch  were  concerned  ;  it  was 
nothing  less  than   a  naval   foray  upon    the    southern 


176  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

coast  of  Spain.  Before  the  close  of  this  same  month 
of  April,  the  Netherland  fleet,  consisting  of  twenty- 
four  ships  of  war  and  four  tenders,  arrived  at  Ply- 
mouth to  join  their  English  allies.  They  brought  two 
thousand  two  hundred  picked  veterans  from  the  garri- 
sons of  the  Netherlands,  who,  although  English,  be- 
longed to  the  army  of  the  States  ;  and  three  thousand 
of  the  best  sailors  in  the  world,  from  Holland  and 
Zealand.  The  admiral  of  the  fleet  was  John  Duven- 
wood,  seignior  of  Warraond,  and  Sir  Francis  Vere 
was  one  of  the  vice-admirals.  The  whole  fleet  in- 
cluded fifty-seven  men-of-war  and  fifty  transports, 
carrying  ammunition  and  other  supplies.  Lord  High 
Admiral  Howard  and  the  earl  of  Essex  were  joint 
commanders,  and  were  aided  by  many  noble  volun- 
teers, including  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  Count  Lewis 
Gunther  of  Nassau.  They  sailed  June  13,  1596,  and 
on  the  last  day  of  June  arrived  off  Cadiz,  in  whose 
harbor  was  then  lying  a  splendid  Spanish  fleet.  There 
were  thirty  gi*eat  war  ships  and  fifty-seven  well-armed 
Indiamen  ready  to  sail,  whose  cargo  was  valued  at 
12,000,000  ducats. 

Four  of  these  Spanish  men-of-war  were  famous 
great  galleons  ;  they  bore  the  names  respectively  of 
Saint  Philip,  Saint  Andrew,  Saint  Matthew,  and  Saint 
Thomas.  The  first  of  these  was  the  wonder  of  its  day 
for  size  and  strength.     It  had  a  crew  of  twelve  hun- 


FIB  ST   YEAR    OF  ABCHDUKE  ALBEBT.    177 

died  men  and  carried  eighty-two  guns.  But  the  Eug- 
Hsh  and  Dutch,  undismayed  at  so  formidable  a  force, 
rushed  upon  the  enemy.  They  soon  captured  two  of  the 
galleons,  aud  ran  aground  and  burned  the  other  two, 
one  of  which  was  the  Saint  Philip.  The  allies  were 
eager  to  seize  Cadiz  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  other  men- 
of-war  they  soon  effected  a  landing.  In  a  short  time 
young  Nassau  had  planted  the  banner  of  William  the 
Silent  on  a  bastion  of  the  city.  There  was  not  much 
of  a  fight.  The  garrison  aud  many  of  the  inhabit- 
ants fled  to  the  citadel  in  a  panic  ;  and  the  very  next 
day  they  surrendered.  The  duke  of  Medina  Sidouia 
refused  to  ransom  his  fleet  by  paying  two  million 
ducats,  and  deliberately  burned  thirty-two  ships,  with 
all  their  equipments.  Twelve  hundred  cannon  and 
arms  for  five  or  six  thousand  men  went  to  the 
bottom. 

The  victors  sacked  Cadiz,  but  found  less  treasure 
than  they  expected.  They  burned  churches,  convents, 
and  hospitals,  but  refrained  from  cold-blooded  mur- 
ders and  barbarities,  such  as  the  Spaniards  used  to 
commit  in  the  Netherlands.  Essex  wished  to  hold 
Cadiz,  and  the  Dutch  admiral  approved  the  plan. 
But  as  most  of  the  English  were  opposed  to  it,  the 
fleet  soon  set  sail  for  home,  having  taken  millions  of 
booty  and  caused  the  destruction  of  one  third  of 
Philip's  fleet,  with  little  loss  on  their  own  side.     Had 


178  THE  DATS  OF  PBINGE   MAURICE. 

they  retained  Cadiz,  they  might  perhaps  have  ex- 
changed it  for  Calais,  or  made  it  a  basis  of  operations 
in  Spain. 

Though  the  capture  and  sack  of  Cadiz  produced  no 
immediate  results,  its  military  importance  was  im- 
mense. It  encouraged  the  Dutch  to  undertake  still 
bolder  and  more  extensive  schemes  in  after  years. 

The  Dutch  admiral  received  a  letter  of  thanks  from 
the  queen's  own  hand  ;  the  States-General  were  proud 
to  preserve  it  in  their  archives.  Their  part  in  the 
foray  had  been  an  important  one,  although  the  Eng- 
lish historians  gave  them  hardly  as  much  credit  as 
they  deserved. 

The  army  of  the  archduke,  after  some  other  suc- 
cesses in  Normandy,  was  meanwhile  besieging  Hulst, 
a  little  place  in  Flanders.  At  the  end  of  six  weeks 
its  commander,  Count  Solms,  surrendered,  to  the 
great  indignation  of  his  countrymen.  Had  its  officers 
been  as  resolute  as  its  defenses  were  strong,  it  might 
have  held  out  a  good  deal  longer.  For  want  of  the 
troops  and  officers  who  were  gone  to  Cadiz,  Prince 
Maurice  did  not  find  it  practicable  to  raise  the  siege  ; 
nor  was  he  able  to  put  into  the  field  any  large  force 
during  the  whole  year. 

There  was  much  negotiating,  if  not  much  campaign- 
ing, from  May  to  October.  Certain  treaties  had  been 
signed  which  were  believed  to  be  of  great  importance. 


FIB  ST   YEAR    OF  ARCHDUKE  ALBERT.    179 

Heni'}'  IV  was  now  openly  at  war  with  Spain ;  Queen 
Elizabeth  too  was  practically  so,  and  with  good 
reason,  though  she  had  put  forth  no  formal  declara- 
tion as  yet.  Both  Henry  and  the  States-General 
longed  to  have  her  take  a  decided  stand  and  form  an 
alliance  with  themselves  against  the  enemy  of  all 
three.  Early  in  May,  Henry  had  sent  an  envoy  to 
England  to  urge  this  on  his  own  behalf.  Indeed,  she 
had  herself  proposed  something  of  the  kind  to  him  in 
February.  And  although  their  quarrel  about  Calais 
had  happened  in  the  interval,  she  now  smoothed  it 
over  to  the  French  envoy  by  saying  that  she  only 
wished  to  keep  Calais  safe  while  the  king's  troops 
were  too  busy  elsewhere  to  attend  to  it  themselves. 
The  envoy  politely  accepted  this  view  of  the  matter  as 
if  he  knew  nothing  to  the  contrary,  and  began  to 
confer  with  the  English  diplomatists  about  the  treaty. 
Once  everything  was  broken  off,  and  the  French 
envoys  had  their  farewell  audience.  But  before  they 
had  set  out  on  their  return  Elizabeth  changed  her 
mind  and  summoned  them  to  her  presence  once  more. 
Before  the  end  of  May  articles  were  agreed  upon  and 
sent  to  Henry  for  his  approval. 

It  seemed  as  if  this  treaty  would  amount  to  a  good 
deal.  The  French  king  and  the  English  queen  pro- 
posed to  defend  each  other's*  domains,  to  join  against 
their  common  foe,  and    to   invite   other   princes   and 


180  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUEICE. 

Btates  who  might  be  iaclined  to  make  a  stand  against 
Spain  to  share  in  the  league.  An  army  was  to  be  put 
into  the  field  at  once  in  order  to  invade  the  Spanish 
territories,  and  the  queen  was  to  furnish  four  thou- 
sand infantry  to  serve  in  Picardy  and  Normandy, 
paying  them  for  half  a  year  before  sending  them.  At 
the  end  of  the  six  months  the  king  was  to  refund 
this  amount. 

In  August,  after  the  treaty  had  been  ratified  by 
Henry,  Elizabeth  solemnized  it  with  a  grand  public 
display.  There  was  first  the  fine  spectacle  of  the 
French  ambassador  and  his  suite  in  seven  splendid 
barges,  moving  in  a  stately  procession  along  the 
Thames,  from  the  Tower  to  Greenwich.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  religious  ceremony  in  the  chapel  of  the  royal 
palace  of  Nonesuch.  A  special  pavilion  had  been 
prepared  in  the  chapel,  and  the  queen,  standing  there 
with  her  hand  on  her  heart,  solemnly  swore  to  main- 
tain the  treaty  which  had  been  concluded  with  the 
king  of  France.  Then  she  gave  her  hand  to  the 
representative  of  Henry  IV,  who  reverently  clasped 
it  in  both  his  own,  and  the  royal  chapel  was  filled  with 
the  thrilling  music  of  psalms  rising  from  organ  and 
choir.  A  magnificent  banquet  was  afterwards  served, 
the  French  ambassador  alone  sitting  at  the  queen's 
table,  where  the  dishes  afld  the  wine  were  presented  by 
the  great  nobles  of  the  realm.     At  another  table  in 


FIBST   YEAR   OF  AliCHDUKE  ALBERT.    181 

the  same  hall  sat  many  distinguished  guests,  among 
whom  was  Count  Lewis  Gunther  of  Nassau. 

"  In  the  midsummer  twilight,"  says  Motley,  "  the 
brilliantly  decorated  barges  were  again  floating  on 
the  historic  river,  the  gayly  colored  lanterns  lighting 
the  sweep  of  the  oars,  and  the  sound  of  lute  and  viol 
floating  merrily  across  the  water.  As  the  ambassador 
came  into  the  courtyard  of  his  house  he  found  a  crowd 
of  several  thousand  people  assembled,  who  shouted 
welcome  to  the  representative  of  Henry,  and  invoked 
blessings  on  the  head  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and  her 
royal  brother  of  France.  Meanwhile  all  the  bells  of 
London  were  ringing,  artillery  was  thundering,  and 
bonfires  were  blazing,  until  the  night  was  half  spent." 

The  young  republic  of  the  Netherlands  was  urged 
by  the  queen  to  join  the  league,  and  on  October  31 
the  articles  were  signed  at  The  Hague.  The  States 
agreed  to  furnish  the  same  number  of  troops  prom- 
ised by  the  queen  for  the  service  of  the  king  of 
France,  but  the  king  was  to  return  them  to  the  Nether- 
lands, in  case  the  chief  part  of  the  enemy's  forces 
should  be  there. 

It  is  humiliating  to  learn  that  none  of  the  parties 
negotiating,  except  the  Netherlanders,  had  entered  into 
the  treaty  with  entire  sincerity  and  good  faith.  Henry 
and  Elizabeth  had  made  a  secret  treaty  which  reduced 
the  published  one  to  a  mere  sham.     In  fact  Elizabeth 


182  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

had  engaged  simply  to  furnish  two  thousand  troops 
who  were  to  be  quartered  in  two  cities  on  the  French 
coast  —  Boulogne  and  Montreuil  —  assisted  by  an 
equal  number  of  French.  If  his  majesty  should  at 
any  time  be  personally  present  in  Picardy  with  an 
army,  they  might  serve  in  that  province,  but  nowhere 
else. 

The  Dutch  had  thus  been  induced  to  unite  in  the 
League  and  to  promise  aid  in  proportion  to  that  osten- 
sibly pledged  by  Elizabeth  with  so  much  pomp  at 
London.  But  the  great  queen  was  in  her  turn  imposed 
upon  by  the  king  of  France.  Neither  party  was  to 
treat  with  Spain  unless  with  the  other's  knowledge  and 
consent ;  yet  Henry  was  soon  listening  to  the  secret 
messenger  of  the  archduke  so  cordially  and  encour- 
agingly that  Albert  presented  him  with  a  splendid  suit 
of  burnished  blue  armor  of  the  newest  style.  Henry 
accepted  the  gift  with  affectionate  assurances  of  his 
personal  friendship  and  his  ardent  desire  for  a  general 
peace,  so  that  all  Christendom  might  be  at  leisure 
to  fight  the  Turks.  The  truth  was  that,  being  now 
a  professed  Catholic,  the  king  found  himself  in  an 
awkward  position,  and  almost  as  soon  as  he  had 
signed  this  treaty  with  England  and  the  Netherlands 
against  Spain  he  began  to  wish  himself  out  of  it. 
And  yet  it  would  never  do  to  let  Spain  overpower 
either  those  countries  or  France. 


FIRST   YE^Ui    OF  ABCHDUKE  xiLBEBT.    183 

Before  the  affair  at  Cadiz,  Philip  had  been  fitting  out 
another  armada  to  conquer  England.  The  destruction 
of  one  third  of  his  navy  on  that  occasion  of  course 
had  not  lessened  his  desire,  though  it  had  somewhat 
diminished  his  resources.  On  the  fifth  of  October  of 
this  same  year  his  fleet  set  sail  from  Lisbon.  There 
were  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  ships  with  four- 
teen thousand  infantry  and  three  thousand  cavalry 
on  board.  They  were  to  land  in  Ireland,  where  the 
Roman  Catholic  populace  would  easily  be  roused  to 
share  in  the  enterprise.  Possibly  also  King  James  of 
Scotland  would  like  to  do  something  by  way  of  reveng- 
ing his  mother's  tragical  death.  After  the  Spanish 
troops  had  landed  most  of  the  fleet  would  return  for 
the  winter  to  Ferrol,  on  the  northwest  coast  of  Spain. 
In  case  the  English  fleet  attacked  them  on  their  way, 
they  were  just  to  demolish  it  immediately. 

But  the  second  armada  was  destined  to  a  fate  hax'dly 
less  dismal  than  that  of  the  first.  Almost  at  the 
beginning  of  the  voyage  it  encountered  a  terrible 
storm.  Forty  of  the  ships,  with  five  thousand  men, 
went  to  the  bottom  ;  the  rest,  shattered  and  disabled, 
took  refuge  in  the  harbor  of  Ferrol. 

Philip  heard  the  tidings  quite  composedly  and  spoke 
of  renewing  the  attempt  the  next  spring.  Indeed  he 
fancied  the  archduke  might  manage  to  invade  England 
himself    with  no   great  trouble  ;    he  could   just  send 


181  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

some  forces  across  from  Calais  in  almost  any  kind 
of  vessels  that  might  be  at  hand.  This,  however,  the 
archduke  did  not  find  it  convenient  to  undertake. 

It  was  during  the  last  decade  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury that  a  great  interest  was  awakened  among  the 
Dutch  in  exploring  the  northern  seas,  in  the  hope  of 
finding  thus  a  back  way  to  India.  The  Spaniards  and 
Portuguese  knew  how  to  reach  India  by  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  but  they  were  careful  not  to  tell  the 
secret  to  anybody  else.  But  it  was  evidently  a  very 
long  vo3'age,  and  the  Dutch  were  confident  of  saving 
several  thousand  miles  if  they  could  only  discover 
the  northeast  passage.  Linschoten,  the  author  of  a 
book  on  the  East  then  just  published,  thought  so  too. 
He  had  lived  thirteen  years  in  Bombay,  as  a  member 
of  the  suite  of  the  archbishop  of  Goa,  and  had  col- 
lected a  vast  amount  of  information  about  the  coun- 
try. His  work  was  illustrated  with  maps  and  charts  ; 
it  gave  a  great  and  lasting  stimulus  to  maritime  explo- 
rations. The  first  expedition  to  the  polar  seas  was 
undertaken  in  the  summer  of  1594.  There  were  only 
three  vessels  and  a  fishing  yacht.  The  leaders  were 
Linschoten  and  Barendz.  Though  they  did  not  make 
a  long  voyage,  only  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
beyond  Nova  Zembla,  what  they  related  excited  so 
much  interest  and  hope  that  the  States-General  took 
up  the  matter.     The  next  summer  they  not  only  sent 


FIBST   YEAR    OF  ABCIIDUKE  ALBERT.    185 

out  seven  ships,  but  even  loaded  them  with  linen, 
broadcloths,  and  tapestry,  to  be  used  in  ti'ading  with 
China.  They  had  been  late  in  setting  out  on  account 
of  these  preparations  ;  and  between  the  icebergs  and 
the  polar  bears  they  were  compelled  to  return  without 
having  found  the  northeast  passage. 

The  States-General  did  not  help  them  in  the  next 
voyage,  except  by  promising  a  handsome  reward  to 
any  navigator  who  should  discover  the  passage  ;  but 
Barendz  and  others  set  out  with  two  ships  in  May, 
1596.  They  got  within  ten  degrees  of  the  pole,  but 
finding  the  ice  closing  around  them  they  made  their 
way  back  to  Nova  Zembla,  where  their  ships  were 
frozen  in  and  they  passed  a  long  and  dreadful  winter. 
It  was  not  until  November,  1597,  that  the  survivors 
reached  home.  It  was  the  last  effort  to  get  to  China 
that  way ;  but  some  of  the  Dutch  navigators  had 
already  made  the  voyage  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  a  brisk  trade  had  been  begun.  It  was  des- 
tined to  produce  results  of  the  greatest  importance  at 
no  distant  day. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A    VICTORY    AND    A    MARTYRDOM. 

EARLY  ill  1597  Prince  Maurice  had  a  brilliant 
success  by  which  his  countrymen  were  not  a 
little  cheered. 

It  was  discovered  that  the  archduke  had  assembled 
some  regiments  of  his  best  infantry  and  several  squad- 
rons of  horse  at  a  village  called  Turnhout,  about 
twenty-five  miles  south  of  Gertruydenberg  and  nearly 
as  far  east  of  Antwerp.  It  was  not  clear  what  he  was 
going  to  do  with  this  choice  little  army,  of  which  his 
general-in-chief  of  artillery,  Count  Varax,  was  in 
charge.  By  some  it  was  surmised  that  he  was  intend- 
ing to  assault  Breda,  which  was  only  twenty  miles 
to  the  northward. 

Whatever  the  archduke  might  be  planning  to  set 
Count  Varax  about,  Maurice  and  the  council  of  state 
resolved  to  interfere  with  it,  if  they  could.  Before 
daybreak  on  the  twenty-third  of  January  the  Dutch 
forces  moved  from  Gertruydenberg  towards  Turnhout, 
plodding  through  rain  and  mire,  for  it  was  a  time  of 
thaw  and  the  roads  were  all  submerged.  At  nightfall 
they   reached   Ravels,   less   than    a   league   from   the 

186 


A   VICTOBY  AJVD  A   MABTYBDOM.  187 

enemy's  camp.  It  seemed  likely  that  the  Spaniards, 
who  had  discovered  their  coming  and  were  fresh  for 
a  fight,  would  fall  upon  them  without  delay.  The 
prince  was  on  the  watch  all  night,  weary  as  he  was, 
while  he  planned  the  movements  to  be  made  in  the 
morning,  should  they  be  unmolested  so  long.  Very 
early  he  sent  out  a  party  to  reconnoiter.  Much  to 
their  surprise  they  discovered  that  Varax  was  already 
gone  from  the  village,  and  was  retreating  with  his 
entire  force  towards  the  south. 

Beyond  the  village  a  small  river  had  overflowed  its 
banks,  and  could  be  crossed  only  in  one  narrow  place, 
where  a  few  planks  had  been  hastily  laid.  The  Span- 
ish infantry  had  crossed,  almost  in  single  file,  while 
the  cavalry  had  plunged  through  the  water  and  mire. 
Their  rear  guard  was  just  disappearing  among  the 
thickets  beyond  when  the  prince's  troops  came  in 
sight.  It  was  known  that  an  upland  heath,  three  miles 
across,  lay  just  ahead  ;  and  it  was  supposed  that  the 
Spanish  army  would  wait  there  to  attack  tiiem  as  they 
should  emerge,  one  by  one,  from  the  narrow  crossing. 
Vat-ax  had  indeed  left  a  guard  there ;  but  when  Sir 
Francis  Vere  and  Marcellus  Bax  dashed  through,  fol- 
lowed by  a  small  detachment,  they  found  that  the  main 
body  of  the  enemy  was  not  drawn  up  in  battle  array, 
as  they  expected,  Uut  in  full  retreat. 

Maurice  had  no  mind  to  lose  his  game  thus  ;  and 


188         THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE   MAURICE. 

being  aware  that  the  only  opening  on  the  other  side  of 
the  heath  was  as  narrow  as  the  entrance,  and  led  into 
a  swamp,  he  sent  Count  Hoheulo  with  most  of  the 
cavalry  to  make  a  rapid  detour  behind  tlie  thicket  bor- 
dering the  heath  on  the  left,  and  thus  cut  off  the 
enemy's  retreat.  In  a  few  minutes  Hohenlo  and  his 
squadrons  dashed  into  view  in  front  of  the  retreating 
foe,  while  their  rear  guard  was  assailed  by  the  troops 
who  had  meanwhile  emerged  from  the  pass.  None  of 
Maurice's  infantry  were  yet  on  the  field,  and  the 
enemy  outnumbered  his  men  four  to  one.  But  the 
Spanish  legions,  veterans  as  they  were,  fell  into  a  ter- 
rible panic  ;  and  though  many  escaped  to  the  swamp, 
two  thousand  fell  on  the  field,  Varax  among  them. 
Five  hundred  were  captured,  with  all  their  standards 
and  most  of  their  arms.  Thirty-eight  Spanish  ban- 
ners were  the  next  week  hung  up  in  the  castle  at  The 
Hague. 

There  was  immense  rejoicing  at  this  victory,  won  in 
so  unequal  a  conflict  with  the  best  regiments  of  Spain. 
Its  moral  effect  was  far  more  important  than  the  ma- 
terial damage  inflicted  on  the  enemy.  It  was  the  first 
time  that  the  Netherlauders  had  gained  such  a  victory, 
over  such  a  foe,  in  the  open  field.  Never  again  could 
it  be  said  that  one  Spanish  soldier  was  worth  five  or 
ten  Dutchmen.  One  needed  only  to  point  to  those 
thirty-eight  banners  captured  on  the  heath  of  Tiel. 


A   VICTOBY  AND  A   MARTYEDOM.         189 

Philip  himself  had  just  taken  a  step  which  in  a 
certain  way  aided  the  Netherlanders,  although  that 
was  the  last  thing  in  the  world  which  he  meant  to  do. 
It  was  nothing  less  than  a  public  repudiation  of  all  his 
debts  and  a  resumption  of  all  the  revenues  and  mort- 
gages that  he  had  pledged  as  security  for  the  interest. 
This  was  announced  in  a  very  solemn  manner,  and 
with  an  air  of  perfect  uprightness,  as  if  he  were  one 
who  had  come  to  bankruptcy  solely  on  account  of  his 
superhuman  efforts  to  save  the  true  religion  from  de- 
struction. He  said  the  usurers  had  been  o-rowing  rich 
at  his  expense,  and  he  was  now  compelled  to  revoke 
all  the  securities  which  he  had  given  them  for  money 
loaned,  and  let  them  get  on  as  best  they  could. 

In  consequence  of  this  royal  fraud  it  became 
impossible  for  the  archdukes  to  get  money  anywhere  ; 
two  and  a  half  millions  of  Albert's  bills  of  exchange 
came  back  protested  in  a  single  day.  In  Frankfort, 
in  Genoa,  in  Antwerp,  and  all  over  Europe  there  were 
more  failures  than  ever  had  been  heard  of  before. 
"  There  was  a  general  howl  of  indignation  and  de- 
spair," says  Motley,  "  upon  every  exchange,  in  every 
countingroom,  in  every  palace,  in  every  cottage  of 
Christendom." 

Philip  had  cut  "  the  sinews  of  war"  at  a  very  incon- 
venient time  ;  for  there  was  urgent  need  that  the  arch- 
duke should  raise  an  army  to  relieve  Amiens,  in  the 


190         THE  DATS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

north  of  France,  which  Henry  was  now  besieging  in 
the  most  determined  manner,  the  Spaniards  having 
taken  it  by  a  shrewd  trick  not  long  before.  Albert 
was  living  in  great  magnificence  at  Brussels  ;  but  now 
he  was  forced  to  pawn  jewels,  plate,  and  furniture  to 
meet  the  daily  expenses  of  his  establishment.  In  this 
state  of  affairs  Maurice  had  little  to  apprehend  from 
the  enemy,  and  could  undertake  almost  anything  he 
liked  for  the  time.  "The  repudiation  of  Philip's 
debts,"  says  Professor  Thorold  Rogers,  "  was  a  turn- 
ing point  in  the  history  of  the  War  of  Independence." 

Not  far  from  this  time  the  emperor  of  Germany 
sent  a  solemn  embassy  to  the  States-General,  offering 
his  services  as  mediator,  to  obtain  for  them  a  peace 
with  their  offended  sovereign,  Philip  of  Spain,  who,  as 
all  the  world  knew,  was  wonderfully  gentle  and  ready 
to  forgive.  The  statesmen  of  the  little  republic 
replied  as  usual,  with  great  politeness  and  at  consider- 
able length,  that  neither  Philip  nor  anybody  else  had 
ever  been  their  king ;  and  that  the  gentle  and  forgiv- 
ing monarch  of  Spain  had  manifested  his  disposition 
by  putting  to  death,  in  the  days  of  Alva,  nearly  twenty 
thousand  Netherlauders ;  not  to  mention  a  hundred 
thousand  who  had  since  been  massacred  in  battles  and 
sieges. 

The  friendly  king  of  Denmark  also  tried  to  persuade 
the  sturdy  Protestant  republic  to  think  of  submission 


A  VICTOBY  AND  A  MABTYRDOM.         191 

and  peace,  and  with  no  better  success.  The  king  of 
Poland,  whose  daughter  was  soon  to  marry  the  prince 
of  Spain,  pressed  the  matter  more  than  either  of  the 
other  sovereigns  had  done.  His  ambassador,  Paul 
Dialyn  by  name,  had  a  grand  reception  at  The  Hague 
in  July.  Magnificently  attired,  he  appeared  in  the 
council  chamber,  where  he  delivered  a  long  and  gran- 
diloquent Latin  oration  before  Prince  Maurice  and  the 
States,  keeping  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ceiling.  This 
pedantic  and  gorgeous  personage  afforded  much 
inward  amusement  to  his  audience  by  the  airs  he  as- 
sumed while  he  tried  to  persuade  them  to  cease  their 
contest  with  the  benignant  Philip  of  Spain,  and  go  to 
fighting  the  Turks  as  all  good  Christians  should. 

Not  discouraged  by  the  obduracy  of  the  Nether- 
landers,  the  envoy  proceeded  to  England  and  held 
forth  in  the  same  conceited  manner  before  Queen 
Elizabeth.  His  Latin  oration  had  no  sooner  been 
concluded  than  her  majesty,  indignant  at  his  pre- 
sumption, yet  forcing  herself  to  speak  with  dignified 
moderation,  made  a  spirited  reply  in  the  same  lan- 
guage :  — 

"Oh,  how  I  have  been  deceived!"  she  began. 
"  I  expected  an  ambassador,  and  behold,  a  herald  ! 
In  all  my  life  I  never  heard  of  such  an  oration.  Your 
boldness  and  unadvised  temerity  I  cannot  sufficiently 
admire.     But  if  the  king  your  master  has  given  you 


192  THE  DAYS   OF   PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

any  such  thing  in  charge,  — which  I  much  doubt,  — I 
believe  it  is  because,  being  but  a  young  man  and 
lately  advanced  to  the  throne,  not  by  ordinary  suc- 
cession of  blood  but  by  election,  he  understandeth 
not  yet  the  way  of  such  affairs."  The  rest  of  her 
speech  was  not  less  severely  satirical,  and  the  con- 
founded envoy  doubtless  left  the  royal  presence  with 
a  different  air  from  that  with  which  he  had  entered. 
The  queen's  reply,  though  given  on  the  instant,  was 
no  less  correct  and  fluent  than  spirited  and  fearless. 
And  no  doubt  her  ministers  were  delighted  at  the 
lecture  which  the  pompous  ambassador  had  received. 
During  this  same  summer  of  1597,  when  there  was 
so  much  effort  to  reconcile  the  Netherlanders  to  Philip 
and  the  Catholic  religion,  an  event  took  place  in  the 
"  obedient  provinces  "  which  revived  the  memory  of 
the  old  days  of  the  edicts  and  the  Inquisition.  Many 
a  year  had  passed  since  any  one  had  been  put  to 
death  for  being  a  Protestant ;  and  to  the  children 
and  young  people  the  terrible  stories  of  those  times 
seemed  as  unreal  as  a  hideous  dream  after  it  is  over. 
But  the  edicts  had  not  been  repealed,  though  they 
had  been  a  dead  letter  ever  since  the  Pacification  of 
Ghent  in  1576.  At  this  time  the  Jesuits  were  so 
strong  in  the  obedient  provinces  that  they  undertook 
to  make  an  example  of  somebody  as  a  warning 
against  heresy. 


A    VICTORY  AND  A   MABTYRDOM.  193 

In  the  family  of  two  maiden  ladies  living  in  Ant- 
werp, who  had  once  been  imprisoned  as  Protestants 
and  were  now  professed  Catholics,  there  was  a  maid- 
servant of  middle  age,  named  Anna  van  den  Hove. 
She  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Reformed  faith  and 
was  evidently  less  pliable  than  her  mistresses  had 
proved.  The  Jesuits  thought  her  a  promising  case 
to  take  in  hand ;  they  denounced  her  to  the  civil 
authorities  and  got  her  condemned. 

They  took  her  to  Brussels  and  informed  her  that 
she  was  to  be  buried  alive  unless  she  would  recant 
her  heresies  and  enter  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
She  replied  meekly  that  she  daily  read  her  Bible  and 
prayed  for  help  to  understand  its  teachings  and  obey 
them.  But  she  did  not  find  there  any  commands  to 
pray  to  the  Virgin  Mary  and  the  saints  ;  there  was 
nothing  about  indulgences  or  purgatory  or  various 
other  matters  insisted  upon  by  the  Roman  Catholics  ; 
and  although  she  did  not  wish  to  interfere  with  the 
beliefs  of  other  people,  she  could  not  renounce  her 
own  faith.  The  poor  soul,  in  her  lowly  stedfastness, 
perhaps  had  never  heard  how  easily  King  Henry  IV 
had  been  converted  to  Romanism  when  the  crown 
of  France  was  to  be  won.  But  the  prize  to  which 
she  aspired  was  that  crown  of  righteousness  which 
the  Lord  would  give  to  those  who  had  kept  the  faith. 
It  seemed  real  and  near. 


1:94  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

So  one  bright  summer  morning  they  led  her  out  of 
the  city  to  die.  Remembering  how  her  Master  "  suf- 
fered without  the  gate,"  she  willingly  went  forth, 
"  bearing  his  reproach."  "Walking  between  two  Jesu- 
its and  followed  by  other  priests,  who  reviled  her  as 
they  went,  she  at  length  arrived  at  the  spot  where, 
in  the  grassy  fields,  there  was  a  great  heap  of 
freshly  turned  earth  beside  a  strange  deep  pit.  The 
executioner  stood  by.  She  was  made  to  descend  into 
that  living  grave,  and  he  shoveled  in  the  earth  till 
she  was  buried  to  the  waist.  Then,  for  the  last  time, 
the  Jesuits  invited  her  to  save  herself  by  abjuring 
her  faith ;  but  she  was  stedfast.  Gazing  upward, 
like  Stephen  of  old,  she  seemed  to  have  a  vision  of 
heaven.  The  pit  was  fast  filling  up  ;  the  executioner 
heaped  the  earth  upon  her,  as  if  in  haste  to  cover 
from  view  that  radiant  face.  It  was  soon  done  ;  then 
he  stamped  down  the  soft  earth  again  and  again  till 
it  w^as  all  made  smooth  and  firm. 

Whether  or  not  the  impression  made  upon  the 
public  mind  by  the  death  of  Anna  van  den  Hove 
was  what  the  Jesuits  intended,  they  did  not  repeat 
the  experiment.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  last  of 
the  Netherland  martyrdoms. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

NEGOTIATING    WITH    ELIZABETH. 

IT  began  to  be  evident  that  the  alliance  formed  with 
so  much  solemnit}'  the  previous  3'ear  had  not 
amounted  to  much.  The  States-General  had  done 
their  part  in  furnishing  troops,  but  Elizabeth  had 
done  only  what  the  secret  treaty  bound  her  to  do, 
and  Henry  had  busied  himself  with  taking  Amiens, 
which  was  mainly  his  own  affair.  The  English  and 
Dutch  had  together  sent  out  another  expedition, 
under  Essex,  to  attack  the  Spanish  coast ;  but  ten 
days  of  tempestuous  weather  had  prevented  its 
success. 

In  August  Prince  Maurice  began  his  autumnal  cam- 
paign on  the  eastern  frontier ;  and  as  the  archduke 
was  not  able  to  interfere  with  it,  in  the  course 
of  three  months  he  took  nine  strongly  fortified  cities 
and  five  castles,  opened  the  navigation  of  the 
Rhine,  and  put  matters  in  better  condition  all  along 
that  boundary. 

This  was  cheering,  so  far  as  it  went.  But  there 
was  now  much  distrust  of   their  French  ally.     And 

196 


196         THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

Elizabeth  was  out  of  humor  with  the  States,  and  still 
more  so  with  Henry.  His  envoys  at  London  and  also 
at  The  Hague  had  admitted  that  their  royal  master 
was  talking  about  making  peace,  at  least  for  himself  ; 
it  was  doubtful  whether  or  not  it  would  include  the 
Netherlands.  Being  now  a  Catholic,  he  could  have 
the  pope's  good  offices  in  negotiating  with  Philip,  if 
he  chose,  but  his  holiness  could  not  be  expected  to 
exert  himself  on  their  behalf  too. 

Now  the  Netherlanders  had  as  little  desire  for  the 
mediation  of  the  pope  as  the  pope  had  to  intercede 
for  them  ;  but  it  was  no  small  grievance  to  be  aban- 
doned by  their  ally.  Matters  were  not  made  more 
comfortable  by  their  learning,  about  this  time,  how 
they  had  been  deluded  in  tlie  league*.  They  felt  that 
they  had  good  reason  for  displeasure  and  distrust 
toward  England  as  well  as  France.  The  queen  and 
her  people  complained  because  the  Dutch  still  carried 
on  their  lucrative  commerce  with  Spain,  which  was 
strictly  forbidden  to  Englishmen.  Thus  they  were 
making  fortunes  for  themselves,  and  at  the  same  time 
feeding  the  enemy.  It  was  urged  on  the  other  side 
that  the  Netherlands  had  nearly  all  their  revenue  from 
their  foreign  traffic,  and  would  be  fatally  impoverished 
should  commerce  with  Spain  be  stopped  ;  while  tliat 
country  would  have  supplies  from  other  nations,  if  not 
from  them.     Thirty  thousand  sailors  were  employed  in 


NEGOTIATING    WITH  ELIZABETH.  197 

this  trade  alone  ;  must  all  these  be  forced  to  choose 
between  starvation  and  the  service  of  the  enemy?  It 
had  been  only  with  the  utmost  effort  and  sacrifice  that 
the  republic  had  carried  on  the  war  till  now  ;  if  thek 
foreign  commerce  were  to  be  cut  off,  it  would  be  all 
over  with  them. 

Vexed  as  the  queen  was,  she  said  to  Caron,  tlie 
Dutch  envoy,  that  she  would  do  her  best  to  dissuade 
Henry  from  concluding  the  peace  which  he  was 
arranging  with  Spain ;  and  that  she  would  faithfully 
tell  Caron  whatever  Henry's  special  ambassador  should 
communicate  to  her.  She  would  not  help  to  deceive 
them  respecting  Henry's  intentions,  unless  she  were 
herself  deceived. 

"  1  feel  indeed,"  she  added,  "  that  matters  are  not 
always  managed  as  they  should  be  by  your  govern- 
ment, and  that  you  have  not  always  treated  princes, 
especially  myself,  as  we  deserve  to  be  treated. 
Nevertheless,  your  state  is  not  a  monarchy,  and  so  we 
must  take  all  things  into  consideration,  and  weigh  its 
faults  against  its  many  perfections." 

The  States-General  decided  to  send  a  special 
embassy  to  France  to  prevent,  if  possible,  the  con- 
clusion of  this  fatal  treaty  with  Spain.  They  would 
promise  Henry  even  more  assistance  than  they  had 
already  pledged,  if  he  would  abide  by  the  league  and 
continue   the   war.     If   necessary,   they   would   bring 


198  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBIGE. 

their  whole  military  power  to  sustain  him,  whether  in 
sieges  or  campaigns. 

The  two  envoys  sent  on  this  momentous  errand 
were  Barneveld,  their  greatest  statesman,  and  Admiral 
Justinus  of  Nassau,  a  soldier  at  once  brave,  wise,  and 
patriotic.  They  were  to  sail  for  Dieppe  the  last  of 
January,  1598,  but  persistent  head  winds  detained 
them  more  than  six  weeks.  Henry  was  at  Angiers, 
two  hundred  miles  southwest  from  Dieppe ;  and  it 
was  not  until  April  that  they  had  an  interview  with 
him.  They  were  soon  convinced  of  the  hopelessness 
of  their  mission.  To  make  peace  with  Spain  was 
decidedly  for  Henry's  interest,  and  that  was  enough. 
Moreover,  Elizabeth  had  told  his  ambassador  that  she 
had  no  means  with  which  to  help  him  carry  on  the 
war,  and  that  she  was  quite  inclined  to  make  peace 
herself,  if  she  could. 

So  the  disheartened  envoys  turned  their  faces 
toward  London,  where  they  arrived  in  the  latter  part 
of  May.  Her  majesty  was  already  in  a  bad  humor, 
and  on  hearing  the  news  they  had  brought  from 
France  she  became  really  angry  and  abusive.  Why 
should  not  the  States  themselves  try  to  make  peace  ? 
Probably  it  could  be  so  arranged  that  Prince  Maurice 
and  their  other  great  men  could  still  keep  their  offices  ; 
while  the  Spaniards  could  be  sent  out  of  the  country. 
Why  should  not  that  suffice  ? 


NEGOTIATING    WITH  ELIZABETH.         199 

Barneveld  replied  that  it  would  involve  submission 
to  the  pope,  as  well  as  to  the  despotism  of  Philip  — 
the  identical  two  points  about  which  they  had  been 
fighting  for  the  last  forty  years. 

"The  queen  here  broke  forth  into  mighty  oaths," 
says  Motley,  "  protesting  over  and  over  again,  by 
the  living  God,  that  she  would  not  and  could  not  give 
the  States  any  further  assistance ;  that  she  would 
leave  them  to  their  fate ;  that  her  aid  rendered  in 
their  war  had  lasted  much  longer  than  the  siege  of 
Troy  did  ;  and  swearing  that  she  had  been  a  fool  to 
help  them  and  the  king  of  France  as  she  had  done, 
for  it  was  nothing  but  evil  passions  that  kept  the 
States  so  obstinate." 

Barneveld  answered  adroitly,  complimenting  her 
majesty's  eminent  sagacity,  but  begging  her  to  think 
of  the  difference  between  a  monarchy  and  a  republic. 
For  them  to  accept  a  sovereign  would  be  putting 
themselves  under  his  absolute  control,  and  giving  up 
all  the  religious  and  political  freedom  for  which  they 
had  struggled  so  long. 

But  the  queen  grew  only  the  more  furious,  espe- 
cially when  entreated  to  suffer  the  republic  to  raise 
soldiers  within  her  kingdom,  at  its  own  expense. 
"  How  am  I  to  defend  myself?"  she  cried ;  "  how  are 
the  affairs  of  Ireland  to  be  provided  for?  how  am  I 
ever  to   get   back   my  money?     Who   is   to   pay  the 


200     THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

garrisons  of  Brill  and  Flushing?"  And  here  she  left 
the  room,  telling  the  ambassadors  that  they  might 
confer  with  her  counselors. 

It  was  true  that  the  queen's  aid  had  amounted  to  a 
large  sum  in  the  course  of  these  fourteen  years.  She 
herself  reckoned  it  at  nearly  fourteen  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds  sterling ;  and  it  was  not  surprising  that 
she  wanted  the  debt  paid.  Yet  had  the  Netherlands 
been  subdued  by  Spain,  she  would  have  been  forced 
to  spend  much  more  money  and  lose  many  more 
soldiers  in  fighting  Spain  on  her  own  account.  It 
was  her  cause  as  well  as  theirs. 

The  next  interview  was  not  so  stormy ;  but  the 
queen  still  urged  that  the  States  might  somehow 
reconcile  themselves  to  their  ancient  ruler  without 
letting  him  tyrannize  over  them  as  before.  Suppose 
Philip  should  transfer  his  title  to  his  daughter  and 
her  affianced  husband,  the  archduke:  would  not  that 
remove  the  objection?  To  this  Barueveld  replied  that 
they  had  no  more  confidence  in  the  princess  and  the 
archduke  than  in  Philip  himself. 

After  long  and  laborious  negotiating  it  was  at  last 
agreed  that  the  States  should  pay  the  queen  thirty 
thousand  pounds  annually  till  they  should  have  paid 
four  hundred  thousand.  After  this  was  done  they 
should  arrange  for  the  payment  of  four  hundred 
thousand  more.     In  case  England  should  be  invaded 


NEGOTIATING    WITH  ELIZABETH  201 

by  the  king  of  Spain,  the  States  promised  to  furnish 
the  queen  with  thirty  ships  of  war,  five  thousand 
infantry,  and  five  squadrons  of  horse.  But  the  queen 
refused  to  promise  that  if  England  should  make  peace 
with  Spain,  she  would  restore  to  the  republic  the 
towns  which  she  held  as  security  for  her  claims. 

Henry's  treaty  with  Spain  was  finally  signed  at 
Vervins,  May  2,  1598;  it  included  restitution  of  all 
places  taken  by  either  party  within  the  realms  of  the 
other,  since  the  treaty  of  Cdteau-Cambresis  in  1559. 
So  Henry  recovered  Calais  and  many  other  places, 
and  gave  up  the  country  of  Charolois.  The  famous 
edict  of  Nantes,  to  protect  the  Protestants  of  France, 
was  signed  about  the  same  time,  though  it  was  not 
proclaimed  till  the  following  year. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


LAST    DAYS    OF    PHILIP    II. 


FOUR  days  after  concluding  the  treaty  of  Vervins 
the  king  of  Spain  executed  a  deed  giving  to 
his  daughter  Isabella  Clara  Eugenia  all  his  Nether- 
land  domains,  including  the  seven  provinces  that  had 
long  ago  renounced  his  sway,  as  well  as  the  ten  called 
"obedient."  The  princess  was  about  to  marry  the 
Archduke  Albert,  and  to  rule  over  the  Low  Countries 
jointly  with  her  husband.  Her  brother  gave  hi^ 
written  consent  to  the  transfer ;  and  everything  was 
transacted  in  due  form,  so  far  as  legal  documents  and 
royal  signatures  and  seals  could  go.  The  consent  of 
the  millions  of  people  supposed  thus  to  be  handed 
over  to  a  new  sovereign  was  not  asked ;  of  course  it 
was  no  concern  of  theirs. 

This  was  the  last  public  act  of  Philip's  life.  Though 
the  bloody  drama  was  not  soon  to  close,  in  which, 
though  rarely  seen,  he  had  for  forty-three  years  been 
the  chief  actor,  his  exit  from  the  stage  was  at  hand. 
He  was  nearly  seventy-one  yeai's  of  age,  and  his 
health  —  always  delicate  —  had  long  been  failing.  He 
now  grew  worse  rapidly,  and  resolved  to  leave  Madrid 

202 


LAST  DAYS   OF  FHILIP  II.  203 

for  the  retirement  of  his  favorite  palace,  the  Escorial. 
This  was  twenty-one  miles  northwest  of  the   capital. 

It  was  a  tedious  and  distressing  journey.  He  was 
borne  in  a  litter  with  the  utmost  care,  ti'aveling  only 
three  or  four  miles  a  day.  The  gout  had  been  one 
of  his  lifelong  maladies,  and  now  he  could  scarcely 
bear  so  much  as  the  pressure  of  a  linen  sheet.  Thus, 
suffering  and  helpless,  he  was  borne  for  the  last  time 
through  the  stately  portals  of  this  royal  cloister  of  his 
own  building,  which  was  intended  to  be  at  once  a 
palace  and  a  tomb. 

The  Escorial,  often  called  the  Escurial,  was  twenty- 
one  years  in  building,  and  cost  six  million  ducats.  It 
was  finished  only  fourteen  years  before  Philip's  death, 
and  for  magnificence  was  regarded  as  the  eighth  won- 
der of  the  world.  Philip  built  it  in  fulfillment  of  a 
vow  to  Saint  Lawrence,  at  the  battle  of  Saint  Quentin  ; 
and  to  commemorate  the  instrument  of  the  saint's 
martyrdom  he  ordered  it  made  in  the  form  of  a  grid- 
iron. It  forms  a  huge  rectangular  parallelogram, 
measuring  seven  hundred  and  forty-four  by  five  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet.  The  long  open  courts,  stretch- 
ing from  end  to  end,  represent  the  spaces  between  the 
bars  of  the  gridiron,  while  towers  at  the  corners  indi- 
cate the  legs,  and  the  handle  is  a  range  of  buildings 
projecting  from  the  middle  of  one  end.  This  last  is 
the   royal   dwelling ;    there   is   also   a   splendid   royal 


204  THE  DATS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

chapel,  as  well  as  a  pantheon,  in  which  only  kings  and 
kings'  mothers  are  entombed.  The  Escorial  is  still  one 
of  the  great  sights  of  Spain. 

Philip's  symptoms  grew  more  alarming  da}'  by  day, 
and  soon  a  low  fever  fastened  upon  him.  His  consti- 
tution was  evidently  giving  way.  At  the  joints  and 
upon  the  breast  abscesses  gathered ;  these  did  not 
heal,  after  being  opened,  and  notwithstanding  all  that 
could  be  done  by  the  imperfect  surgery  of  those  times 
they  swarmed  with  maggots,  which  fed  and  multiplied 
in  the  flesh  of  their  living  prey.  "  No  torture  ever 
invented  by  Torquemada  or  Peter  Titelmann  could 
exceed  in  acuteness  the  agonies  which  the  most  Cath- 
olic king  was  now  called  to  endure.  .  .  .  That  the 
grave  worms  should  do  their  office  before  soul  and 
body  were  parted  was  a  torment  such  as  the  imagina- 
tion of  Dante  might  have  invented  for  the  lowest 
depths  of  his  Inferno." 

Amid  these  sufferings  the  month  of  July  wore  away. 
The  king  asked  his  physician's  opinion.  Evidently  he 
foresaw  the  fatal  result ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  first 
of  August  that  his  confessor  told  him  plainly  what  the 
doctor  dared  not  utter.  With  surprising  composure 
and  gentleness  Philip  thanked  him  for  ending  the 
suspense,  and  thus  enabling  him  to  devote  himself  to 
preparing  for  the  solemn  event. 

After  sending  a  courier  to  Rome  to  ask  the  pope's 


Philip  II,  King  of  Spain. 
From  Bor's  History  of  the  Netherlands,  1621. 


LAST  DAYS   OF  PHILIP  11.  205 

blessing  the  king  spent  three  clays  iu  confession. 
The  father  confessor  had  prepared  a  very  long  and 
searching  list  of  questions  to  guide  him  iu  his  self- 
examination,  that  no  sin  might  remain  undiscovered 
and  unforgiven.  Strange  to  say  Philip  declared  both 
to  his  confessor  and  to  his  son  that,  so  far  as  he  knew, 
he  had  never  in  all  his  life  done  a  wrong  to  anybody. 
Perhaps  the  Netherlauders  could  have  helped  his 
memory  with  a  few  facts,  had  they  been  desired.  And 
certainly  many  of  his  subjects  in  Spain  could  have 
done  the  same.  But  in  those  days  it  was  supposed 
that  a  monarch  had  a  right  to  do  almost  anything  he 
liked.  At  least  that  was  evidently  Philip's  view. 
"This  internal  conviction  of  his  general  righteous- 
ness," says  Motley,  "was  of  great  advantage  ia  the 
midst  of  his  terrible  sufferings  ;  and  accounted  in  a 
great  degree  for  the  gentleness,  thoughtfulness  for 
others,  and  perfect  benignity  which,  according  to  the 
unanimous  testimony  of  many  witnesses,  character- 
ized his  conduct  during  this  whole  sickness." 

As  a  Roman  Catholic,  devout  beyond  most  men  of 
his  time,  Philip  depended  much  on  holy  relics,  which 
he  had  long  been  assiduous  in  collecting.  There  was 
a  bone  of  Saint  Alban,  given  him  by  Clement  VIII,  to 
be  the  special  comfort  of  his  dying  bed  ;  there  was 
also  an  arm  of  Saint  Vincent  of  Ferrara  and  a  knee 
bone  of  Saint  Sebastian.     All  these  were  thought  to 


206  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

possess  great  virtue,  and  Philip  often  gazed  upon  them 
as  he  lay  on  his  sick  bed,  or  had  them  applied  to  his 
torturing  sores.  He  had  always  been  fond  of  plan- 
ning all  the  arrangements  for  any  great  procession  or 
other  spectacle  ;  and  during  the  period  of  his  failing 
health  he  had  not  forgotten  to  write  out  full  directions 
for  his  own  funeral.  One  day  while  enduring  the 
ceaseless  agonies  of  his  relentless  disease,  he  had  this 
paper  read  aloud  in  his  presence  ;  so  that  his  children, 
his  ministers  of  state,  and  other  great  personages  in 
attendance  might  understand  precisely  how  all  the 
ceremonies  were  to  be  conducted. 

"Having  governed  my  kingdom  for  forty-three 
years,"  began  the  document,  "  I  now  give  it  back  in 
the  seventy-first  3'ear  of  my  age  to  God  Almighty  to 
whom  it  belongs,  recommending  my  soul  into  his 
blessed  hands,  that  his  divine  majesty  may  do  what 
he  pleases  therewith." 

Then  followed  directions  for  the  funeral  procession, 
which  was  to  be  led  by  the  bishop  holding  a  crucifix 
aloft  and  followed  by  the  clergy.  The  Adelantado 
next  should  bear  the  royal  standard,  trailing  it  along 
the  ground  ;  then  the  duke  of  Novara  should  carry 
the  crown  on  a  silver  salver  covered  with  a  black 
cloth,  and  another  nobleman  should  carry  the  sword 
of  state.  Eight  Spanish  grandees,  robed  in  mourn- 
ing and  holding  lighted  torches,  should  bear  the  royal 


LAST  DAYS   OF  PHILIP  II.  207 

coffin  ;  and  the  heir  apparent,  attended  by  the  new 
archbishop  of  Toledo,  should  follow.  Thus  the  pro- 
cession was  to  enter  the  chapel  and  approach  the 
stately  tomb  prepared  for  the  royal  dust.  "  Mass 
being  performed,"  continued  the  king's  instructions, 
"the  pi-elate  shall  place  me  in  the  grave  which  shall 
be  my  last  house  until  I  go  to  my  eternal  dwelling. 
Then  the  prince,  third  king  of  my  name,  shall  go  into 
the  cloister  of  Saint  Jerome  at  Madrid,  where  he  shall 
keep  nine  days'  mourning.  My  daughter  and  my 
sister,  the  ex-empress,  shall  for  the  same  purpose  go 
to  the  convent  of  the  Gray  Sisters."  Then  followed 
directions  that  thirty  thousand  masses  should  be  said 
for  the  repose  of  the  king's  soul ;  that  five  hundred 
galley  slaves  should  be  freed,  and  that  five  hundred 
maidens  should  receive  marriage  portions. 

Several  times  during  the  latter  part  of  his  illness 
the  king  received  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
and  twice  the  rite  of  extreme  unction,  by  which  he 
was  inexpressibly  consoled,  and  felt  himself  ready  for 
his  departure.  But  he  still  lingered,  suffering  undi- 
minished tortures.  Toward  the  middle  of  September 
it  became  evident  that  death  was  near.  The  king 
bade  an  attendant  bring  from  a  certain  shrine  the 
crucifix  which  his  father  had  held  when  dying,  that  it 
might  be  at  hand  to  soothe  his  own  last  moments,  and 
also  a  candle  of  Our  Lady  of  Montserrat  which  also 


208  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUEICE. 

he  desired  to  hold  when  the  hour  should  come.  Then 
he  added  directions  about  the  enshrouding  of  his 
body,  being  aware  that  decomposition  had  already 
begun.  He  desired  that  it  should  be  enclosed  in  a 
well-soldered  metallic  coffin,  and  that,  in  the  coffin  of 
state,  which  he  ordered  brought  to  his  chamber  that  he 
might  examine  it.  It  was  to  be  lined  with  white  satin 
and  trimmed  with  gold  lace  and  gold  nails  ;  a  certain 
brocade  of  black  and  gold,  in  the  jewel  room,  was  to 
be  used  for  his  pall. 

On  the  twelfth  of  September,  less  than  twenty-four 
hours  before  his  death,  he  again  received  the  Lord's 
Supper  and  gave  his  dying  blessings  and  farewells  to 
his  children.  He  charged  the  Infanta  never  to  relax 
her  exertions  to  maintain  the  Roman  Catholic  reli- 
gion in  her  Netherland  domains,  and  bade  her  impress 
this,  his  dying  command,  upon  the  archduke,  soon  to 
become  her  husband. 

When  the  last  hour  approached,  the  crucifix  of 
Charles  V  was  placed  in  his  hand  and  he  said :  "I  die 
like  a  good  Catholic,  in  faith  and  obedience  to  the 
holy  Roman  Church."  Presently  came  what  seemed 
the  last  struggle  and  he  lay  motionless,  as  if  life  were 
gone.  They  had  covered  his  face  when  he  suddenly 
opened  his  eyes,  grasped  once  more  the  crucifix,  and 
pressed  it  with  fervor  to  his  lips.  The  death  agony 
returned  and  he  spoke  no  more,  lying  insensible  till 


LAST  DAYS   OF  PHILIP  IL  209 

five  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  September  13, 
1598,  when  he  ceased  to  breathe. 

What  shall  we  think  of  such  a  life,  closed  by  such 
a  death  ? 

Certainly  Philip  had  shed  the  innocent  blood  of 
thousands  in  the  Netherlands  alone,  by  the  execu- 
tioner's hand  ;  he  had  many  a  time  procured,  or  at- 
tempted, assassinations  ;  he  had,  with  much  expense, 
kept  civil  war  raging  in  France  for  private  ends  ;  he 
had  plundered  multitudes  by  confiscation,  whose  opu- 
lence was  their  only  offense ;  and  he  had  been  a 
notorious  adulterer. 

Yet  we  must  not  forget  the  difference  between  those 
times  and  our  own.  Then  a  great  deal  used  to  be 
said  about  the  prerogatives  of  kings  ;  it  had  hardly 
occurred  to  anybody  to  inquire  into  the  prerogatives 
of  human  beings.  The  king  of  Spain  was  virtually 
an  absolute  monarch.  If  he  chose  to  take  the  life 
or  possessions  of  ^  subject,  no  one  dared  complain. 
And  though  he  sometimes  assumed  the  attitude  of 
a  penitent  toward  God,  he  doubtless  felt  it  his  privi- 
lege to  do  what  he  pleased  toward  men.  He  was 
quite  superior  to  the  moral  code  which  mankind  in 
general  is  bound  to  observe.  Kiugs,  of  course,  could 
not  be  expected  to  live  by  the  Ten  Commandments. 

In  that  age  the  manual  by  which  royal  personages 
were   wont   to   guide   their   steps    was    Machiavelli's 


210  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

famous  work,  The  Prince.  This  celebrated  Floren- 
tine philosopher  had  died  the  very  year  that  Philip 
was  born.  One  might  fancy  that  The  Prince  was  in- 
carnated in  Philip  of  Spain.  Machiavelli  taught  that 
since  all  men  are  liars,  scoundrels,  and  idiots,  ever 
ready  to  deceive  and  yet  easily  duped,  he  is  alone  fit 
to  be  king  who  excels  in  deceiving.  According  to 
this  rule  Philip  deserved  the  world-empire  which  he 
had  so  ardently  desired.  Falseliood  was  the  all- 
pervading  element  of  his  character.  Not  even  to  his 
most  valued  servants  was  he  true.  His  secret  corre- 
spondence, laboriously  deciphered  within  the  nineteenth 
century,  shows  that  he  was  not  sincere  even  with  Alva, 
with  Don  John,  or  with  Alexander  of  Parma.  From 
Machiavelli  he  had  learned  that  "  in  order  to  maintain 
power  it  is  often  necessary  to  act  contrary  to  faith, 
contrary  to  charity,  contrary  to  humanity,  contrary 
to  religion."  Again,  "  Every  one  sees  what  you  seem, 
few  perceive  what  you  are.  .  ...  A  prince  ought 
therefore  to  have  great  care  .  .  .  that  to  see  and 
hear  him  he  should  appear  all  piety,  all  faith,  all 
integrity,  all  humanity,  all  religion.  And  nothing  is 
more  necessary  than  to  seem  to  have  this  last- 
mentioned  quality."  You  must  not  really  have  it;  it 
would  sometimes  be  very  much  in  your  way.  You 
would  be  obliged  to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy,  and  all 
that.     You  would  love  your  neighbor  as  yourself,  and 


LAST  DAYS   OF  PHILIP  IL  211 

SO  you  could  not  hire  assassins  to  stab,  shoot,  or 
poison  him,  nor  could  you  seize  his  estates  or  kidnap 
his  child.  But  you  must  seem  very  religious  all  the 
same. 

Here  perhaps  we  may  find  a  key  to  the  mystery 
of  Philip's  saintly  departure  from  this  life.  Since 
hypocrisy  had  pervaded  his  whole  career  he  could 
hardly  be  expected  to  drop  the  mask  before  he  left 
the  stage.  Aware  that  every  word  and  deed  would 
be  recounted  to  the  world,  he  would  naturally  desire  to 
act  the  devoted  Catholic  to  the  last.  Moreover  the 
habitual  deceiver  often  ends  by  deluding  even  himself. 
He  has  acted  his  part  so  long  and  so  well  that  he  at 
last  thinks  he  really  is  what  he  has  pretended  to  be. 
He  can  no  longer  discern  between  the  true  and  the 
false.  Once  a  conscious  hypocrite,  he  is  now  self- 
deceived.  We  may  be  sure  that  the  father  of  lies  is 
careful  that  his  victim  shall  not  be  roused  too  soon. 
And  thus  it  may  have  been  perhaps  that  Philip  died  in 
the  serene  expectation  of  heavenly  bliss  as  the  reward 
of  such  a  life. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


CAMPAIGNING    IN    FLANDERS. 


"TT  was  in  September,  1599,  a  year  after  Philip's 
-^  death,  that  Archduke  Albert  arrived  at  Brussels 
with  his  bride  the  Infanta  of  Spain.  He  had  been 
absent  for  a  twelvemonth,  and  the  admiral  of  Aragon, 
Francis  de  Mendoza,  had  meanwhile  managed  military 
afifairs.  This  stirring  and  vigorous  personage,  during 
the  autumn  of  1598,  had  made  a  fine  campaign  in  the 
German  duchies  of  Cleves,  Juliers,  and  Berg,  which 
bordered  upon  the  United  Provinces.  The  States- 
General,  hampered  by  various  difficulties,  could  i)ut 
only  a  small  force  into  the  field,  amounting  to  six  or 
seven  thousand  men ;  but  tlie  admiral  was  laying 
waste  the  adjacent  duchies  with  nearly  four  times  as 
many. 

Prince  Maurice  was  adroit  enough,  however,  to 
keep  the  Spanish  army  out  of  the  republic  by  watch- 
ing every  movement  and  harassing  the  enemy  when- 
ever there  was  a  chance  to  do  so.  He  effected  so 
much  with  his  little  army  as  to  make  it  appear  like  a 
large  one.     Queen  Elizabeth   declared    that   Maurice 

213 


CAMPAIGNING  IN  FLANDERS.  213 

deserved  to  be  called  the  first  general  in  all  Christen- 
dom. "Never  before  was  it  written  or  heard  of," 
said  she,  "that  so  great  an  extent  of  country  could 
be  defended  with  so  few  troops,  and  an  invasion  of  so 
superior  a  hostile  force  could  be  prevented ;  especially 
as  all  the  streams  and  rivers  were  frozen." 

At  length  the  enemy  went  into  winter  quarters. 
Campaigns  merely  defensive  are  not  apt  to  be  regarded 
with  perfect  satisfaction ;  fault-finding  is  easy  and 
natural,  especially  when  taxation  is  heavy.  In  the 
struggling  little  republic  it  was  more  difficult  than  ever 
to  raise  the  money  for  carrying  on  the  war.  Of  late, 
it  had  been  found  necessary  to  lay  a  tax  of  one-half 
per  cent  upon  all  property,  and  two-and-a-half  per 
cent  on  all  sales  ;  yet  this  self-imposed  addition  to 
burdens  which  had  long  been  enormous  did  not  suffice. 
It  has  been  remarked  by  a  great  authority  in  such 
matters  that  "  No  nation  ever  bore  so  much  in  the 
way  of  taxation  without  flinching.  .  .  .  Every  Hol- 
lander was  taxed  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  for 
every  act  of  his  daily  life,  and  even  for  the  voluntary 
and  involuntary  incidents  of  it." '  What  made  a 
great  difference  in  the  finances  at  this  time  was  that 
there  was  no  longer  any  commerce  permitted  between 
the  United  Provinces  and  Spain  or  Spanish  depend- 
encies. It  had  been  forbidden  first  by  the  Spanish 
» Thorold  Rogers,  in  The  Story  of  Holland. 


214  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

government,  and  in  retaliation  by  the  Dutch  also. 
So  a  large  part  of  the  foreign  traffic  that  had  brought 
money  into  the  Provinces  was  cut  off ;  and  the  annual 
revenue  was  now  far  too  little  to  support  the  war 
efficiently. 

The  Obedient  Provinces  were  poorer  still.  Though 
they  had  made  a  fine  show  of  rejoicing  on  the  arrival 
of  their  new  sovereigns,  they  were  already  murmuring 
loudly  about  their  extravagant  style  of  living.  The 
"archdukes"  —  for  so,  with  amusing  impartiality  this 
wedded  pair  used  to  be  called  —  kept  house  in  almost 
imperial  state.  It  was  said  to  cost  two  thousand 
florins  a  day  just  to  feed  the  multitude  of  cooks, 
lackeys,  pages,  and  fine  gentlemen  in  their  retinue, 
not  to  speak  of  wages  and  salaries. 

Isabella  was  at  this  time  thirty-three  years  of  age, 
and  Albert  was  thirty-nine.  She  was  considered  hand- 
some, gifted,  and  wise,  at  least  by  her  courtiers.  In 
her  haughty  bearing,  her  tastes,  and  her  habits,  she 
was  altogether  Spanish,  and  on  that  account  less 
winning  to  her  subjects  than  if  she  had  adopted  some 
of  the  Flemisli  wa^'s.  It  was  much  the  same  with  her 
husband.  They  were  fond  of  each  other,  and  remark- 
ably harmonious  in  their  views  and  aims  ;  these  of 
course  included,  above  all,  the  subjugation  of  the 
remaining  seven  sturdy  little  Provinces  to  their  sway 
and  to  the  yoke  of  Rome. 


CAMPAIGNING   IN  FLANDEB8.  215 

Early  in  the  year  1600  Prince  Maurice  recovered 
two  forts,  whose  garrisons,  being  mostly  "Walloons, 
and  in  mutiny  against  the  archduke,  were  persuaded 
to  come  over  to  the  service  of  the  States.  They 
formed  a  legion  about  twelve  hundred  strong,  which 
was  placed  under  the  command  of  young  Frederic 
Henry  of  Nassau,  who  was  then  beginning  his  illus- 
trious career.  This  legion  somehow  got  the  name  of 
"  the  new  beggars,"  in  allusion  to  the  derisive  epithet 
borne  by  the  nobles  who  in  1566  ventured  to  ask  for 
a  little  of  the  liberty  since  then  so  bravely  won  by  the 
Dutch  republic. 

As  to  any  foreign  aid,  the  prospect  was  gloomy 
enough.  It  was  known  that  secret  messages  were 
going  to  and  fro  between  Brussels  and  London. 
Furthermore,  an  English  envoy  named  Edmunds  was 
visiting  various  cities  of  the  Obedient  Provinces  on 
some  mysterious  errand ;  and  they  were  making  a 
great  parade  wherever  he  went.  So  Caron,  the  repre- 
sentative of  tlie  States  in  England,  respectfully  asked 
the  queen  what  it  meant.  Elizabeth  happened  to  be 
in  a  bad  humor  with  Edmunds,  who  had  not  duly 
informed  her  what  he  was  accomplishing  while  parad- 
ing about  the  Netherlands  so  triumphantly.  She 
replied  to  Caron  that  she  did  not  herself  know  what  it 
meant,  unless  the  people  regarded  Edmunds  as  a 
phenomenon,  and  were  carrying  him  about  for  a  show. 


216  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

Perhaps  they  wanted  to  have  it  appear  that  she  was 
trying  to  make  peace  with  the  archdukes,  which,  she 
added,  was  very  wide  of  the  mark.  But  she  admitted 
that,  as  she  had  so  often  been  approached  on  the  sub- 
ject, she  thought  she  would  find  out,  once  for  all,  what 
they  had  to  propose. 

What  they  did  propose  was  that  the  queen  should 
be  base  enough  to  put  into  Spanish  hands  the  towns 
of  Brill,  Flushing,  and  Ostehd  ;  which,  together  with 
the  castle  of  Rammekens,  she  had  long  been  holding 
as  security  for  the  money  she  had  lent  the  republic. 
She  was  further  to  forbid  all  trade  and  intercourse 
between  her  subjects  and  the  Netherlanders,  and  never 
again  to  let  any  Englishman  fight  in  their  cause.  On 
these  conditions  peace  might  be  made  between  Eng- 
land and  Spain. 

Now  Elizabeth  had  formerly  assured  the  Dutch 
envoy  that  if  such  things  were  proposed  to  her,  she 
would  reply  in  a  way  that  would  be  talked  of  for 
a  good  while.  "Before  I  consent  to  a  single  one 
of  those  points,"  said  she  with  vehemence,  "  I 
wish  myself  taken  from  this  world !  Until  now  I 
have  been  a  princess  of  my  word,  who  would 
rather  die  than  deceive  such  good  people  as  the 
States." 

She  did  reply  to  the  Spanish  commissioner  that  she 
would  not  attempt  to  treat  for  peace  so  long  as  Spain 


CAMPAIGNING   IN  FLANDERS.  217 

insisted  on  those  three  points ;  but  she  did  not  declare 
that  she  would  not  negotiate  at  all,  and  so  the  talk 
about  a  treaty  still  went  on.  Yet  she  used  to  be 
furious  if  any  rumors  were  heard  of  the  States-Gen- 
eral listening  to  proposals  from  the  archdukes.  One 
day  when  Caron  was  to  have  an  audience,  the  queen 
called  out  almost  before  he  entered  the  door:  "Have 
you  not  always  told  me  that  the  States  never  could, 
would,  or  should  treat  for  peace  with  the  enemy? 
Yet  now  it  is  plain  enough  that  they  have  proceeded 
only  too  far  in  negotiations."  It  was  not  true,  but 
Caron  had  hard  work  to  remove  her  suspicions  ;  and 
she  swore  a  great  oath  that  if  the  States  should 
deceive  her,  she  would  have  such  revenge  that  men 
should  talk  of  it  forever  and  ever. 

Nor  was  Henry  IV  at  present  a  comfort  to  his 
Dutch  friends.  He  was  now  so  ardent  a  Catholic 
and  so  grateful  to  the  pope  for  absolving  him  from 
his  former  heresies  and  confirming  him  upon  the 
throne  of  France  that  he  declared  he  would  be 
willing  to  proclaim  in  his  kingdom  the  very  decrees 
of  the  Council  of  Trent.  "  I  desire  it  more  ar- 
dently," said  he,  "than  I  pressed  the  edict  for  the 
Protestants." 

More  than  ever  it  seemed  to  the  leading  statesmen 
of  the  republic  that  all  must  now  depend  upon  their 
own  efforts.     As  the  season  for  campaigning  drew  near 


218  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE   MAURICE. 

they  began  secretly  to  plan  a  great  military  movement 
which,  if  it  succeeded,  might  almost  finish  the  war. 
Barneveld,  the  leading  spirit  in  the  States-General, 
had  contrived  a  scheme  which  he  was  extremely 
anxious  to  have  accomplished  ;  it  was  to  carry  the  war 
into  the  enemy's  country  by  a  sudden  invasion  of 
Flanders,  the  province  from  whose  ports  came  swarms 
of  privateers  to  prey  upon  their  commerce.  Could 
they  but  capture  Nieuport  and  Dunkirk,  — for  Ostend 
had  always  been  theirs,  — it  would  not  be  difficult 
to  subdue  that  whole  province,  from  which  a  great 
part  of  the  enemy's  supplies  came.  And  the  arch- 
dukes were  at  this  time  in  an  uncommonly  bad 
plight,  not  only  as  to  money  but  as  to  forces, 
many  of  their  troops  having  mutinied.  In  short, 
Barneveld,  wise  and  cautious  as  he  generally  was, 
persuaded  the  States  that  this  was  the  thing  to  be 
done. 

In  vain  did  Prince  Maurice,  Lewis  William  of 
Nassau,  and  Sir  Francis  Vere  present  the  objections. 
They  urged  that  the  whole  army  would  be  required, 
except  the  small  garrisons  of  the  principal  posts ;  so 
that  a  defeat  would  be  not  merely  disastrous,  but 
fatal.  The  sagacious  Lewis  William  declared  that 
it  would  be  to  suspend  the  very  existence  of  the 
republic  upon  a  hair.  Certainly,  generals  could  better 
judge   than   statesmen ;    nevertheless,  the    statesmen 


CAMPAIGNINCi  IN  FLAX  DEB  8.  219 

decreed  aud  the  generals  obeyed.  But  they  under- 
took the  campaign  with  heavy  hearts,  aware  that  all 
was  to  be  staked  on  a  single  throw  of  the  dice.  This 
was  the  feeling  of  the  populace  too.  While  the 
troops  summoned  from  various  posts  were  marching 
through  Holland  and  Zealand,  on  their  way  to  the 
rendezvous  near  Flushing,  they  were  met  by  the 
people  with  dismal  forebodings  instead  of  enthusi- 
astic confidence. 

A  great  fleet  was  assembled  at  Flushing  to  convey 
the  army  readily  to  Nieuport,  the  point  to  be  attacked. 
In  all  there  were  about  thirteen  hundred  vessels,  in- 
cluding a  multitude  of  transports  and  flat-bottomed 
barges,  beside  the  war  ships.  The  army  numbered 
fourteen  thousand  troops,  well  trained,  well  equipped, 
and  well  paid.  Prince  Maurice  had  with  him  two  of 
his  cousins.  Count  Ernest  and  Count  Lewis  Gunther 
of  Nassau,  the  younger  brothers  of  Count  Lewis  AVil- 
liam,  stadtholder  of  Frieslaud.  The  latter  remained 
in  charge  of  the  eastern  frontier,  and  Count  Hohenlo 
of  the  southern.  The  prince's  half-brother,  young 
Frederic  Henry,  was  in  the  army  with  his  legion. 
And  Sir  Francis  Vere,  who  was  a  soldier  of  great 
experience  as  well  as  valor,  had  charge  of  the  rear 
guard  during  the  march. 

All  was  ready  on  the  twentieth  of  June,  and  the 
army  on  the  point  of  embarking  for   the   voyage  of 


220         THE   DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

thirty-five  miles ;  but  the  wind  was  directly  ahead. 
For  two  days  they  waited,  hoping  it  would  change. 
Then  they  resolved  to  effect  a  landing  upon  the 
nearest  point  of  the  Flemish  coast  within  their 
reach,  and  proceed  the  rest  of  the  way  by  land. 
They  could  sail  southeast,  if  not  southwest ;  and 
so  on  the  twenty-second  of  June  they  passed  up 
the  western  Scheldt  and  disembarked  at  the  Sas  of 
Ghent,  near  a  fort  which  Count  Ernest  had  taken 
the  day  before. 

The  fleet  was  sent  away  as  soon  as  possible  and 
ordered  to  make  its  way  toward  Nieuport  as  fast  as 
the  wind  would  permit.  In  fact,  it  anchored  in  that 
roadstead  July  1,  the  same  morning  on  which  the 
army  arrived  ;  and  thus  nothing  had  been  gained  by 
the  change  as  to  time..  The  army  had  marched  more 
miles  than  the  original  voyage  was  to  be,  and  had 
been  obliged  to  do  some  work  in  building  bridges  on 
the  way,  as  well  as  to  take  a  few  of  the  enemy's  forts. 
Ten  days  had  thus  been  consumed,  and  of  course 
their  approacli  was  no  surprise. 

Nieuport  was  a  well-fortified  little  city,  a  mile  or 
two  from  the  sea,  and  surrounded  by  low  and  marshy 
land.  At  high  tide  the  creek  upon  which  the  city 
stood  was  broad  and  deep  enough  for  vessels  to 
ascend.  Maurice  sent  the  greater  part  of  his  forces 
across  to  the  western   side  of  the  water,  leaving  the 


CAMPAIGNING  IN  FLANDEBS.  221 

rest  under  the  command  of  his  cousin  Ernest.  He 
ordered  a  good  bridge  to  be  built,  so  that  the  two 
divisions  might  not  be  separated  at  high  tide,  and 
marked  out  the  lines  of  entrenchments  for  the  in- 
tended siege.  This  was  on  the  day  they  arrived,  and 
much  besides  planning  had  been  done  before  night 
came  on. 

The  archdukes  were  not  supposed  to  be  in  a  condi- 
tion to  take  the  field,  and  it  was  hoped  that  they  did 
not  yet  know  how  their  territory  had  been  invaded. 
They  had  been  looking  for  an  attack  upon  their  east- 
ern border  indeed.  But  Albert  now  bestirred  himself 
so  actively  and  Isabella  seconded  him  so  well  that 
before  the  invading  army  dreamed  of  such  a  thing 
he  was  almost  in  sight,  with  forces  nearly  as  numerous 
as  their  own. 

Albert  had  succeeded  in  reclaiming  a  great  part  of 
the  regiments  in  mutiny  by  appealing  to  them  in  the 
name  of  their  holy  Catholic  faith,  and  their  loyalt}^  to 
the  Infanta  Isabella,  as  well  as  to  hunself.  They 
had  stipulated  and  he  had  promised  that  the  long 
arrears  of  pay  should  be  met  as  soon  as  possible, 
that  they  should  be  led  by  their  own  ofHcers,  and 
should  have  the  place  of  greatest  exposure  on  the 
field.  On  the  twenty-ninth  of  June,  near  Ghent,  the 
archduke  reviewed  an  army  nearly  twelve  thousand 
strong.     Albert  spoke  a  few  stirring  words  reminding 


222         THE  DATS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

them  of  their  duty  to  their  church  and  their  sovereign  ; 
aud  Isabella,  splendidly  attired,  and  mounted  on  a 
white  palfrey,  galloped  along  the  lines.  She  declared 
that  rather  than  let  them  remain  unpaid  she  would 
sacrifice  her  personal  effects,  even  to  her  earrings  and 
the  plate  daily  used  at  her  table.  Loud  cheers  rose 
in  response  to  her  words  and  the  army  began  its  march 
with  enthusiasm. 

On  the  first  of  July  the  archduke  and  his  army 
approached  Oudenburg,  a  fort  which  Prince  Maurice 
had  taken  and  garrisoned  two  or  three  days  before. 
As  nobody  had  any  idea  that  there  was  a  Spanish 
army  within  twenty  miles,  the  commanding  officer 
had  allowed  most  of  the  garrison  to  go  out  foraging 
or  plundering  ;  so  he  was  compelled  to  surrender  at 
once.  Tlie  same  thing  occurred  at  several  other 
points  the  same  day.  Favorable  terms  were  offered, 
but  when  once  the  forts  were  theirs  the  Spaniards 
butchered  nearly  everybody  as  usual. 

On  the  evening  of  the  first  of  July,  after  the  tired 
generals  and  troops  had  gone  to  rest,  the  hurrying 
footsteps  of  a  terrified  fugitive  were  suddenly  heard 
approaching  Count  Ernest's  quarters  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  harbor.  It  was  a  soldier  escaped  from 
Oudenburg,  who  brought  the  astounding  news  that 
the  enemy  had  recaptured  that  fort  and  all  the  other 
forts  and  redoubts   in   that   vicinity.     Count  Ernest, 


CAMPAIGNING  IN  FLANDEBS.  223 

with  the  fugitive,  at  ouce  sprang  into  a  boat  and  was 
rowed  across  to  Maurice's  headquarters,  where  the 
officers  immediately  gathered  to  hold  a  council  of 
war. 

Oudenburg  lay  between  Nieuport  and  Ostend.  If 
the  enemy  had  really  taken  possession  of  it,  retreat 
was  impossible,  and  there  must  be  a  great  battle 
instead  of  a  leisurely  siege. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


THE    BRIDGE    AT    LEFFINGEN. 


STARTLED  by  the  hasty  summons  to  headquar- 
ters, the  other  generals  gathered  with  auxious 
faces  around  their  commander-iu-chief  while  he 
repeated  the  tidings. 

Most  of  them  doubted  whether  there  could  be  any 
Spanish  force  at  Oudenburg,  except  the  troops  sta- 
tioned in  that  region.  Probably  these  liad  been  try- 
ing what  they  could  do  under  pretense  of  belonging 
to  an  approaching  army.  Sir  Francis  Vere  was  fast 
asleep  in  his  tent,  but  was  specially  sent  for  to  give 
his  opinion.  He  said  he  had  no  doubt  the  archduke 
was  coming  in  force ;  he  had  expected  nothing  else 
from  the  first.  Then  he  went  back  to  take  a  second 
nap,  leaving  the  other  officers  still  consulting.  At 
midnight  they  summoned  him  again ;  there  was  no 
longer  any  doubt.  A  messenger  had  arrived  from 
Osteud,  where  thirteen  members  of  the  States-Gen- 
eral, wuth  Barneveld  himself,  were  staying  to  watch 
the  progress  of  the  campaign  which  they  had  planned. 
He  had  brought  the  written  terms  of  the  capitulation 
of   Oudenburg,  which    the   Archduke   Albert   himself 

224 


THE  BRIDGE  AT  LEFFINGEN.  225 

had  signed,  aud  had  violated  almost  before  the  ink 
was  dry. 

Evidently  Albert  was  following  the  very  track 
which  Maurice's  army  had  traveled  the  morning 
before ;  and  his  progress  would  be  assisted  by  what 
they  had  done  in  making  roads  and  bridges,  Maurice 
recollected  a  certain  spot,  a  few  miles  back,  where 
they  had  crossed  a  deep  and  dangerous  river ;  and 
resolved  if  possible  to  secure  that  bridge  before  the 
enemy  could  reach  it.  He  ordered  Count  Ernest, 
whose  division  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  harbor,  to 
march  thither  with  all  speed.  A  small  force  in  such  a 
spot  might  possibly  hold  at  bay  a  considerable  army 
for  a  time.  He  also  sent  to  Ostend  an  order  for  four 
hundred  cavalry  stationed  in  that  city  to  hasten  to 
LetBugen  and  destroy  the  bridge  before  the  enemy 
should  arrive.  Had  this  order  been  received,  the 
plan  might  have  succeeded ;  but  it  (^id  not  reach 
Ostend  for  ten  days.  Indeed,  the  States-General, 
who  were  intensely  anxious,  themselves  ordered  out 
the  horsemen  ;  but,  as  the  latter  were  not  accustomed 
to  receive  orders  from  that  body,  they  could  hardly 
be  gotten  into  their  saddles  at  all ;  aud  nothing  would 
induce  them  to  ride  farther  than  Fort  Saint  Albert. 

Count  Ernest  well  knew  that  he  was  going  on  a 
desperate  enterprise,  but  he  needed  no  urging.  He 
set  off  at  once,  with  two  regiments  of  infantry,  one 


226         THE  DAYS   OF  PBIXCE  MAURICE. 

being  Scotch  and  the  other  Zealanders,  four  squad- 
rons of  Dutch  cavah'y,  and  two  pieces  of  artillery.  It 
was  over  difficult  ground  that  he  had  to  pass  ;  and 
when,  about  eight  in  the  morning,  he  came  in  sight  of 
the  bridge,  the  enemy  was  there.  Nothing  was  to  be 
seen  of  the  cavalry  expected  from  Ostend. 

It  was  plain  that  the  enemy's  force  outnumbered 
his,  six  or  eight  to  one.  He  might  perhaps  still  re- 
treat into  Fort  Saint  Albert,  or  even  to  Ostend.  In 
that  case,  though  he  might  save  his  men  for  future 
service  to  the  republic,  there  would  be  nothing  to 
hinder  the  foe  from  pressing  on  and  falling  upon  the 
main  body  of  Maurice's  army,  at  this  moment  strug- 
gling across  the  harbor  in  the  ebbing  tide.  And  if 
they  did,  there  might  not  be  a  republic  to  fight  for 
another  day.  So  the  gallant  Ernest  of  Nassau,  with 
a  self-devotion  worthy  of  the  house  to  which  he  be- 
longed, resolved  to  perish  then  and  there,  if  he  must, 
in  order  to  hinder  the  advance  of  the  enemy,  and  gain 
a  little  time  for  the  main  army  before  Nieuport. 

He  drew  up  his  men  in  order  of  battle,  behind  a 
dike,  upon  which  he  placed  his  two  fieldpieces,  directly 
in  face  of  the  advancing  foe.  The  Scotch  regiment 
was  on  the  right,  the  Zealanders  on  the  left,  with  four 
companies  of  horse.  They  were  within  a  carbine-shot 
of  the  stream,  and  the  passage  from  the  stream  along 
which  the   enemy   must  march   was    not  more  than   a 


THE  BRIDGE  AT  LEFFINGEN.  227 

hundred  yards  wide,  with  a  swamp  on  each  side.  So 
resolute  was  the  air  of  the  little  army  awaiting  attack 
that  the  archduke  paused  for  a  few  moments,  to  make 
sure  that  he  was  not  about  to  engage  the  whole  force 
of  the  States.  Then  his  battalions  moved  on,  and 
were  met  with  four  volleys  in  succession  from  the 
fieldpieccs  mounted  on  the  dike. 

For  a  moment  they  were  staggered ;  but  confident 
in  their  overwhelming  numbers,  they  rushed  upon  the 
dike  and  captured  the  guns.  The  attack  began  upon 
Count  Ernest's  left ;  and  the  cavalry,  fearing  they 
were  going  to  be  cut  off  from  all  chance  of  retreating 
to  the  fort,  suddenly  turned  their  backs  in  a  disgrace- 
ful panic.  In  another  moment  a  senseless  terror  fell 
upon  the  whole  Zealand  regiment ;  and  bravely  as  they 
had  often  before  fought,  they  now  took  to  their  heels, 
threw  away  their  weapons,  and  rushed  across  the 
sands  toward  the  sea,  hotly  pursued  by  their  exulting 
foes.  Even  the  Scots,  beside  themselves  with  terror 
and  despair,  joined  in  the  flight,  though  all  their  cap- 
tains and  company  officers  strove  to  rally  them,  and 
themselves  were  slain  on  the  spot. 

"  No  viler  panic,"  says  Motley,  "  no  more  complete 
defeat,  was  ever  recorded.  The  glory  of  Thermopyla3 
might  have  hung  forever  over  that  bridge  of  Leffingen. 
It  was  now  a  pass  of  infamy,  perhaps  of  fatal  disas- 
ter.    The   sands  were  covered  with  weapons  thrown 


228  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

away  by  almost  every  soldier  as  he  fled,  to  save  the 
life  which  after  all  was  sacrificed."  Not  less  thau  a 
thousand  of  Maurice's  best  meu  perished,  and  the 
Spaniards  claimed  that  they  destroyed  nearly  twice 
that  number ;  the  artillery,  ammunition,  and  thirty 
flags  were  captured.  The  archduke  triumphantly 
sent  word  to  Isabella  at  Ghent  that  he  had  utterly 
defeated  the  advance  guard  of  the  States'  army, 
scarcely  losing  a  man  himself.  He  expected  in  his 
next  bulletin  to  announce  the  final  overthrow  of 
Maurice ;  and  she  might  count  upon  seeing  the  rebel 
stadtholder  soon  brought  before  her  a  prisoner.  Isa- 
bella said  to  her  ladies  that  she  wondered  how  Maurice 
of  Nassau  would  carry  himself  in  her  presence  as 
a  captive.  The  archduke  had  decided  to  put  to  the 
sword  all  prisoners  except  Maurice  and  his.  brother 
Frederic  Henry,  and  gave  instructions  to  that  effect 
to  his  army. 

The  report  of  the  victory  was  dispatched  in  haste  to 
Ghent,  to  Bruges,  and  other  cities  ;  in  response,  the 
bells  rang  joyfully  and  cannons  thundered,  as  if  the 
thousand  men  killed  that  morning  had  not  been  fellow 
countrymen  of  those  who  rejoiced.  The  archduke 
held  a  council  of  war,  to  consider  whether  to  pi-ess 
on  without  delay  and  engage  the  main  army  of  the 
States,  or  whether  a  few  hours  of  rest  should  be 
allowed    after   the   hurried   march    and   the    exciting 


TUE  BEIDGE  AT  LEFFINGEN.  229 

affair  of  the  morning.  Since  Maurice  was  not  likely 
either  to  take  Nieuport  or  to  escape  into  Ostend,  as 
matters  now  stood,  it  seemed  safe  to  wait  a  little. 
They  would  need  simply  to  entrench  themselves  foi- 
the  night  where  they  were,  since  he  could  take  no 
otber  route  if  he  marched  at  all.  Should  he  venture 
to  attack  them,  it  would  be  with  troops  akeady  wearied 
and  disheartened  by  the  defeat  of  Count  Ernest's 
division  ;  or  if  he  should  stay  where  he  was,  he  would 
soon  be  stan'ed  into  submission,  especially  should  the 
archduke  recapture  Fort  Saint  Albert,  as  he  might 
easily  do.  Meanwhile  their  own  rear  guard  of  three 
thousand  men  would  come  in  to  reinforce  the  present 
army. 

These  arguments  were  urged  by  Zapena,  a  veteran 
marshal  of  the  camp.  But  most  of  the  officers,  as 
well  as  tlie  men,  were  eager  to  push  on.  They  feared 
the  enemy  would  skulk  aw^ay  on  board  of  his  fleet,  and 
so  slip  through  their  fingers.  While  the  debate  was 
going  on,  from  their  position  on  the  edge  of  the  downs 
they  actually  descried  a  few  ships  moving  slowly  along 
as  if  bound  for  Ostend.  Most  likely  the  rebel  com- 
mander was  on  board,  said  the  eager  chieftains  ;  but 
possibly  they  might  yet  intercept  the  main  body  of 
his  army.  So  the  order  to  march  was  given,  and  the 
army  was  speedily  on  the  way. 

Had  those  few  companies  of   horsemen  at  Ostend 


230  THE  DAYS   OF  PlilNCE  MAUBICE. 

but  been  brave  enough  to  sally  out  and  hang  upon  the 
enemy's  rear,  they  might  have  hindered  him  a  good 
deal  and  perhaps  compelled  him  to  detach  part  of  his 
own  cavalry  in  self-defense.  But  not  a  step  would 
they  stir,  however  pressing  the  commands  and  en- 
treaties of  the  States-General.  That  honorable  body 
was  now  in  great  anxiety  as  to  the  result  of  the  Flem- 
ish campaign  which  they  had  started.  A  contempo- 
rary writer  ^  says:  "Since  in  such  extremities,  wlieii 
human  resources  fail,  there  is  no  better  course  than  to 
take  refuge  in  the  God  of  armies,  therefore  my  lords 
the  States,  with  their  suites  and  many  others  who  were 
present,  withdrew  into  their  chamber  wliere  they  were 
wont  to  assemble  ;  and  after  the  chaplain  Uytenbogart 
had  offered  prayer  for  the  preservation  of  his  excel- 
lency and  the  other  lords  and  captains  who  were  with 
him  and  likewise  for  the  whole  army,  they  committed 
all  to  God,  expecting  a  favorable  issue." 

1  Lea  Lauriers  de  Nassau,  fol.  197. 


The  Fjnal  Charge  in  the  Dunes. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


THE    BATTLE    OF    NIEUPORT. 


WHILE  Count  Ernest  had  been  absent  much  had 
been  going  on  in  the  army  before  Nieuport. 
The  first  problem  was,  how  to  get  across  the  haven  in 
the  speediest  way.  The  brief  midsummer  night  would 
soon  be  gone,  the  tide  was  nearly  full,  and  there 
were  neither  bridges  nor  boats  by  which  to  cross. 
There  was  no  way  except  to  wait  until  the  tide  had 
nearly  gone  out,  before  attempting  the  passage.  At 
the  earliest  possible  moment,  which  was  not  till  after 
eight  o'clock.  Count  Lewis  Gunther  rode  across  with 
eight  squadrons  of  cavalry,  the  horses  swimming  where 
the  water  was  still  beyond  their  depth.  Then  the 
advance  guard  of  infantry  under  Sir  Francis  Vere, 
five  or  six  thousand  strong,  slowly  waded  across,  the 
water  being  up  to  tlieir  armpits  and  in  places  nearly 
over  their  heads.  Owing  to  the  delay  of  the  enemy 
at  Leffingen,  the  army  of  Maurice  all  reached  the  east- 
ern shore  of  the  haven  before  the  archduke's  vanguard 
came  in  sight. 

Count    Lewis    Gunther    and    his    cavalry,    sitting 
motionless    upon    their   horses,    their   line   of    battle 

231 


232  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

stretching  across  the  beach  from  the  downs  to  the 
sea,  first  perceived  that  far  along  the  shore  troops 
were  coming  from  the  direction  of  Ostend.  He  hoped 
it  might  be  that  his  brother  Ernest  was  returning  vic- 
torious from  his  morning's  work  at  the  bridge.  But 
shortly,  two  breathless  horsemen  galloped  along  the 
strand  with  news  that  the  whole  army  of  the  archduke 
was  coming.  Without  letting  them  tell  more  of  their 
evil  tidings  they  were  sent  to  the  prince  to  deliver 
their  message  to  him  alone.  And  now  at  last  Maurice 
knew  that  the  worst  had  befallen  Ernest's  expedition, 
and  that  nothing  but  utter  ruin  could  be  expected. 

In  that  supreme  moment,  when  a  weaker  spirit 
would  have  given  way,  the  prince  stood  unmoved. 
He  quietly  told  the  two  horsemen  as  they  valued  their 
lives  not  to  open  their  lips  to  a  single  soul,  and  sent 
them  under  guard  to  a  man-of-war  lying  outside  the 
harbor.  Saying  not  a  word  of  the  great  disaster,  nor 
asking  counsel  of  any  man,  he  sent  orders  to  the  fleet 
that  every  vessel,  of  whatever  kind,  should  instantly 
put  to  sea.  Having  thus  deliberately  cut  off  the  last 
chance  of  escape  for  himself  as  well  as  for  his  men, 
he  went  on  with  the  arrangements  for  the  impending 
battle. 

The  field  was  a  peculiar  one.  The  hard,  smooth 
beach  stretched  along  toward  the  northeast  in  an 
almost  unbroken  line  for  many  miles.     A  little  above 


THE  BATTLE   OF  NIEUPOBT.  233 

the  line  of  high  tide  began  the  downs,  seven  hundred 
yards  in  width,  and  parallel  to  the  beach.  Here  the 
sands,  deep  and  soft,  were  ever  drifting  hither  and 
thither  iu  fantastic  heaps  and  hollows  at  the  caprice 
of  the  winds.  It  was  no  place  for  the  evolutions  of 
cavalry,  nor  could  infantry  perform  regular  and  well- 
timed  movements  while  wading  iu  the  hot  sand  and 
tangled  in  the  prickly  broom  which  grew  profusely 
all  over  it.  Beyond  the  downs  lay  a  belt  of  level 
green  meadows,  with  a  stream  flowing  sluggishly 
through  them  towards  the  harbor. 

Before  noon  the  army  of  the  United  Provinces  had 
been  drawn  up  iu  battle  array,  confronting  that  of 
the  archduke,  now  iu  full  view.  The  day  was  bright 
and  warm,  a  gentle  southwest  breeze  was  blowing, 
and  the  sails  of  more  than  a  thousand  vessels  gleamed 
upon  the  blue  sea.  The  prince  rode  through  the 
lines  arrayed  in  complete  armor,  sword  in  hand,  the 
orange  plumes  waving  from  his  helmet  and  the  orange 
scarf  across  his  breast.  There  was  no  need  of  many 
words.  Behind  his  army  lay  the  harbor  of  Nieuport, 
now  again  flooded  by  the  rising  tide  ;  at  their  left 
was  the  sea,  whitened  by  the  sails  of  the  departing 
fleet ;  before  them  the  enemy.  Either  victory  or  death 
awaited  them.  They  would  be  put  to  the  sword  if 
captured ;  better  perish  bravely  fighting  for  their 
fatherland. 


234  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

"  I  am  here  to  share  your  fate,"  said  the  prince. 
"I  shall  conquer  or  perish  with  you  this  day.  I 
trust  in  the  God  of  battles  and  in  your  brave  hearts 
and  strong  arms  to  win  the  greatest  victory  we  have 
ever  achieved." 

"Lead  us  on!"  shouted  the  troops  eagerly,  "we 
are  ready  !  "  And  the  legion  of  the  New  Beggars,  so 
lately  on  the  Spanish  side,  at  a  word  from  Marquette 
their  commander  all  lifted  up  their  liands  and  solemnly 
swore  to  live  or  die  that  day  at  the  feet  of  Prince 
Maurice. 

Several  nobles  had  joined  the  prince's  staff  as 
volunteers,  including  the  duke  of  Holstein,  the  prince 
of  Anhalt,  and  others  ;  these  were  urged  to  withdraw 
while  it  was  yet  possible  to  send  them  on  boai'd  the 
fleet.  Among  them  was  young  Frederic  Henry,  a  boy 
of  sixteen,  on  whom  the  hopes  of  the  house  of  Orange 
would  depend,  should  Prince  Maurice  fall.  He  im- 
plored his  brother  to  let  him  remain,  however  great 
the  peril.  At  last  Maurice  gave  his  consent ;  a  sou 
of  William  the  Silent  could  hardly  be  excluded  from 
the  field  where  the  fate  of  his  country  was  about 
to  be  decided.  Nor  did  any  of  the  other  nobles 
withdraw. 

Count  Lewis  Gunther,  with  his  eight  squadrons  of 
cavalry,  had  at  first  held  a  position  somewhat  in 
advance ;  but  afterwards  he  yielded  to  the  judgment 


THE  BATTLE   OF  NIEUPOBT.  235 

of  Sir  Francis  Vere  and  drew  up  liis  troops  at  the  left 
flank  of  the  vanguard,  as  close  as  possible  to  *he  sea. 
Vere  himself  commanded  the  vanguard  ;  it  consisted 
of  more  than  five  thousand  men,  their  ranks  extending 
quite  across  the  beach  and  into  the  downs.  Just  at 
the  edge  of  the  downs  and  in  the  narrow  border  of 
hard  beach  above  high-water  mark  was  a  battery 
of  six  demicannon.  Vere  had  stationed  groups  of 
musketeers  and  pikemen  on  all  the  hillocks  of  the 
downs,  and  ambushed  in  every  hollow  were  arquebus- 
men  and  carabineers.  Two  pieces  of  artillery  stood 
on  the  highest  point,  for  it  was  foreseen  that  the 
battle  might  be  fought  mainly  in  the  downs. 

Behind  the  vanguard  was  the  center,  commanded 
by  George  Everard  Solms,  and  then  came  the  rear 
guard  under  Tempel.  In  all  divisions  of  the  army 
many  of  the  men  were  foreigners,  some  Germans, 
some  Swiss  and  French,  and  many  English.  To  the 
English,  certainly,  it  must  have  seemed  that  the  cause 
was  in  a  sense  their  own,  however  it  may  have  been 
with  the  rest. 

In  the  other  army,  meanwhile,  Archduke  Albert,  in 
splendid  armor  and  mounted  on  a  white  horse  of 
wonderful  beauty,  was  riding  to  and  fro  to  cheer  and 
stimulate  his  troops.  He  rode  with  his  helmet  off, 
that  he  might  at  once  be  recognized  by  the  men.  His 
vanguard  was  commanded  by  Mendoza,  the  admiral 


236  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

of  Aragon,  and  noted  warriors  had  charge  of  the 
other  divisions  of  the  array. 

The  two  armies  had  been  standing  face  to  face  and 
at  no  great  distance  for  some  time,  when,  about  two 
o'clock,  the  archduke  ordered  his  columns  to  advance. 
Maurice  had  directed  that  a  small  body  of  Lewis 
Gunther's  cavalry  should  at  the  outset  make  a  chax'ge 
upon  the  enemy  and  then  retreat  as  if  in  a  panic,  in 
order  to  draw  the  Spaniards  towards  the  battery  at 
the  edge  of  the  downs.  Then  the  battery  was  to 
open  upon  them  suddenly  while  they  were  close  to  it. 
This  was  expected  to  throw  them  into  some  confusion, 
during  which  the  soldiers  hidden  in  the  hollows  were 
to  rush  upon  their  flank,  and  all  the  cavalry  to  charge 
upon  them  in  front  and  drive  their  advance  guard 
back  upon  the  center.  But  the  battery  men,  getting 
too  eager,  fired  a  volley  before  the  detachment  of 
cavalry  had  time  to  make  their  pretended  charge  and 
retreat.  And  so  nothing  came  about  as  was  intended. 
The  effect  was  to  make  the  downs  shortly  the  chief 
scene  of  the  conflict,  and  thus  to  oblige  Maurice  to 
change  his  front.  But  the  well-drilled  troops  accom- 
plished it  in  tolerable  order,  leaving  only  a  few  com- 
panies of  foot  on  the  beach,  now  almost  covered  by 
the  rising  tide. 

The  Spaniards  were  now  obliged  to  face  the  south- 
westerly wind,  which  blew  sand  and  smoke  into  their 


THE   BATTLE   OF  NIEUPORT.  237 

eyes,  aud  to  meet  the  full  glare  of  the  July  sun. 
While  their  infantry  was  charging  that  of  the  States 
under  Vere,  Count  Lewis  Gunther  was  sent  across  the 
downs  to  the  meadows  beyond,  with  six  squadrons  of 
horse.  He  found  a  large  body  of  the  enemy's  cavalry 
there,  and  made  a  brilliant  charge  upon  them  by  which 
they  were  put  to  flight.  In  the  ardor  of  pursuit  he 
found  himself  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  and  only  ten 
of  his  own  men  near.  He  was  fortunately  rescued 
by  another  company  of  horse,  just  arrived  ;  but  his 
troops  were  so  long  returning  from  the  pursuit  that  he 
could  not  push  the  advantage. 

In  the  downs,  meanwhile,  the  infantry  of  both  armies 
were  fighting  terribly  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  among 
the  hillocks  and  hollows,  where  they  were  knee-deep 
in  the  hot  sands.  It  was  impossible  to  fight  accord- 
ing to  regular  and  scientific  methods.  Three  times 
the  Spanish  infantry  retreated  in  confusion,  but  each 
time  they  rallied  and  drove  back  the  republican  forces. 
The  latter  recovered  themselves  in  their  turn  and 
renewed  the  struggle.  The  downs  were  strewn  with 
the  dead  and  dying.  Sir  Francis  Vere  was  fighting  in 
the  very  front  all  the  while,  though  twice  sliot  through 
the  leg ;  at  last,  and  seemingly  at  the  most  critical 
moment,  his  horse  was  killed,  and  fell  so  that  his  rider 
was  held  fast  to  the  ground.  Fortunately  he  was 
found  by  one  of  his  friends  aud  carried  off  the  field. 


238  TEE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

While  the  battle  was  thus  raging  ou  the  downs, 
Lewis  Gunther,  having  at  length  rallied  his  scattered 
forces,  was  impatient  to  charge  again.  Maurice,  who 
was  watching  the  infantry  as  they  fought,  desired  him 
to  wait  till  he  should  see  a  favorable  moment.  At  last 
yielding  to  his  young  cousin's  importunity,  he  gave  the 
coveted  permission  ;  and  with  three  picked  squadrons 
the  count  made  a  furious  charge  upon  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  now  drawn  up  close  to  their  musketeers. 
But  he  did  not  this  time  succeed  in  putting  them  to 
flight ;  and  the  musketeers  poured  a  heavy  fire  upon 
his  troops,  who  faltered  and  began  to  wheel  upon  the 
companies  behind  them,  thus  throwing  all  into  confu- 
sion. Seeing  this,  the  archduke  now  sent  in  his  last 
reserves  of  foot,  and  charged  afresh  upon  the  infantry 
of  Vere,  now  exhausted  by  long  fighting  in  the  extreme 
heat.  Some  of  the  English  and  Netherlanders  fled  in 
a  panic,  never  stopping  till  they  reached  the  sea ;  but 
most  retreated  slowly  and  in  some  degree  of  order,  as 
they  were  driven  from  one  ridge  to  another,  till  at  last 
they  made  a  stand  behind  the  battery  at  the  edge  of 
the  downs. 

It  seemed  as  though  all  was  lost.  Vere  had  been 
carried  off  the  field.  Count  Lewis  Gunther  routed,  and 
the  whole  army  broken  and  dismayed.  But  the  prince 
never  faltered.  He  had  simply  three  squadrons  of 
cavalry  left ;  he  now  put   himself  at  their  head.     In 


THE  BATTLE   OF  NIEUPOBT.  239 

that  moment  of  unspeakable  peril  it  was  given  him  to 
utter  such  words  of  cheer,  of  entreaty,  of  love  for 
fatherland  and  freedom,  of  upbraiding  to  those  who 
were  deserting  the  sacred  cause  in  its  greatest  need, 
that  part  of  the  fugitives  rallied  once  more.  So 
dauntless  was  the  bearing  of  the  prince  that  the 
enemy,  struck  by  the  sight,  unconsciously  paused  an 
instant  to  gaze. 

Maurice  saw  that  the  battle  was  now  to  center 
around  his  battery  on  the  beach,  and  ordered  the 
reserved  squadrons  to  charge  in  that  direction.  Just 
as  the  battery  was  about  to  be  deserted,  the  first 
squadron  thundered  along  the  beach  and  fell  upon 
the  Spanish  infantry  near  the  guns.  Then  followed 
the  second  and  the  third.  Many  of  'the  enemy  were 
killed  or  captured  ;  and  the  Zealand  sailors  who  had 
been  serving  the  battery  now  promptly  opened  fire  once 
more.  The  Spaniards  were  staggered ;  the  Zealanders 
shouted  "  Fall  on  !  "  and  others  began  to  shout  "  Vic- 
tory !  "  while  Maurice's  cavalry  charged  again.  Then 
the  whole  line  of  the  Catholic  forces  suddenly  broke 
and  fled  in  every  direction  ;  the  republicans  who  just 
now  were  retreating  in  panic  rushed  after  the  enemy 
with  exultant  shouts,  and  the  hard-fought  field  was 
won. 

The  admiral  of  Aragon,  whose  horse  had  fallen 
upon  him,  was  captured  by  two  of  his  former  servants. 


240         THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

to  one  of  whom  he  had  been  extremely  cruel.  He 
recognized  them  us  he  surrendered,  and  gave  his 
scarf  to  one  and  the  hanger  of  his  sword  belt  to  the 
other,  in  token  that  he  belonged  to  them.  According 
to  the  custom  of  the  time,  so  great  a  personage  as  the 
admiral  would  have  to  pay  a  heavy  ransom,  some  small 
part  of  which  would  go  to  these  old  servants  who  had 
captured  him.  He  was  sent  to  the  rear,  not  so  much 
dismayed  as  to  spoil  his  appetite  for  a  hearty  dinner, 
which  he  called  for  at  once,  though  the  firing  had  not 
ceased.  Later  in  the  evening  he  supped  with  Prince 
Maurice  in  his  tent,  where,  in  the  circumstances,  he 
was  not  an  unwelcome  guest. 

Archduke  Albert  himself  was  almost  captured  in 
the  final  rout.  He  had  fought  like  a  hero  throughout 
the  battle  and  had  been  slightly  wounded  early  in  the 
action.  He  was  now  hard  pressed,  and  a  Walloon 
pikeman,  not  recognizing  him  in  the  plain  armor  and 
shabby  scarf  which  he  had  put  on  during  the  battle, 
seized  his  bridle  and  cried  :  "  Surrender,  scoundrel !  " 
Just  then  came  up  a  Flemish  oflScer,  Captain  Kabbel- 
jaw,  who  knew  the  archduke,  and  rushing  to  his  relief 
killed  the  pikeman  and  four  others  on  the  spot.  Then 
he  was  himself  slain  ;  but  the  archduke  escaped  along 
with  a  few  officers  and  horsemen.  They  might  have 
been  easily  captured  at  that  bridge  of  Leffingen  where 
he  had  been  so  triumphant  a  few  hours  before,  had 


THE  BATTLE   OF  XIEUPORT.  241 

not  the  handful  of  republican  soldiers  guarding  it 
(who  had  not  yet  heard  anything  of  the  victory  at 
Nieuport)  fled  when  they  saw  cavaliers  riding  hotly 
toward  them.  The  archduke  hurried  on  to  Bruges 
and  thence  to  Ghent,  where,  not  precisely  as  a  con- 
queror, he  met  his  wife.  Instead  of  bringing  Maurice 
of  Nassau  as  his  captive  he  had  left  him  master  of 
the  field.  But  Isabella  met  the  disappointment  coolly, 
as  if  she  did  not  mind.  This  was  a  sample  of  the 
royal  deportment  which  she  had  been  taught  to  con- 
sider the  correct  thing  on  such  occasions.  True,  her 
fine  army  had  been  utterly  routed  and  at  least  three 
or  four  thousand  of  them  killed,  besides  many  cap- 
tured ;  but  why  should  her  lofty  spirit  be  discomposed 
by  trifles  like  these  ? 

At  length  the  victors  were  exhausted  by  the  battle 
and  the  chase  ;  the  sultry  night  was  black  with  clouds ; 
it  was  enough  to  have  turned  such  a  defeat  into  such 
a  victory.  The  prince  encamped  on  the  field  for  the 
night.  Through  all  the  perils  of  that  terrible  day  he 
had  been  firm  and  self-controlled  ;  but  when  at  length 
the  legions  of  Italy  and  Spain  had  fled  before  the 
army  of  the  republic  he  had  been  overcome.  "  Dis- 
mounting from  his  horse,"  says  Motley,  "he  threw 
himself  on  his  knees  in  the  sand,  and  with  streaming 
eyes  and  uplifted  hands  exclaimed  :  '  O  God,  what 
are  we  human  creatures  to  whom  thou  hast  brought 


242         THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAVRICE. 

such  honor,  and  to  whom  thou  hast  vouchsafed  such 
a  victory  ! '  " 

The  next  morning  the  prince  rode  to  Ostend,  now 
wild  with  unspeakable  joy,  to  join  in  the  public  thanks- 
giving for  this  deliverance.  His  chaplain,  Uytenbo- 
gart,  preached  on  the  One  Hundred  Sixteenth  Psalm, 
beginning,  "  I  love  the  Lord  because  he  hath  heard 
my  voice  and  my  supplication."  After  the  service 
a  dinner  was  given  in  honor  of  the  prince  at  the  house 
of  the  States-General.  The  great  prisoner,  the  admiral 
of  Aragon,  was  a  guest  and  had  to  put  up  with  some 
keen  though  not  ill-natured  jokes.  Considering  that 
bis  own  mode  of  dealing  with  prisoners  had  been  to 
cut  their  throats,  he  might  well  submit  to  a  little 
teasing.  Prince  Maurice  remarked:  "  Monsieur  the 
admiral  of  Aragon  is  more  fortunate  than  many  of 
his  army  ;  he  has  been  constantly  wishing  these  four 
years  to  see  Holland,  and  now  he  will  enter  there  with- 
out striking  a  blow."  Others  inquired  what  he  now 
thought  of  their  awkward  Dutchmen  and  Zealanders 
who  had  long  been  admitted  to  fight  well  behind 
ramparts,  but  not  considered  equal  to  a  pitched  battle 
with  Spanish  troops  in  the  open  field.  The  admiral 
was  not  disconcerted  and  commented  freely  on  the 
management  upon  both  sides.  He  praised  Maurice's 
prudence  in  holding  some  of  his  cavalry  in  reserve 
till  the  crisis,  which  the  archduke  ought  also  to  have 


THE  BATTLE   OF  NIEUPOBT.  243 

done.  He  observed  that  the  archduke's  artillery  had 
been  of  little  service  for  want  of  such  platforms  as 
had  prevented  Maurice's  cannons  from  sinking 
deep  into  the  sand.  More  than  all  he  admired  the 
prince's  heroism  in  ordering  his  fleet  to  put  to  sea, 
leaving  no  alternative  but  victory  or  death. 

Lewis  Gunther  wrote  to  his  elder  brother,  Lewis 
William,  stadtholder  of  Friesland  :  "I  hope  that  this 
day's  work  will  not  be  useless  to  me,  both  for  what  I 
have  learned  in  it  and  for  another  thing.  His  excel- 
lency Prince  Maurice  has  done  me  the  honor  to  give 
me  the  admiral  for  my  prisoner."  To  this  Lewis 
"William  replied  :  "  I  thank  God  for  his  singular  grace 
in  that  he  has  been  pleased  to  make  use  of  your 
person  as  the  instrument  of  so  signal  a  victory.  .  .  . 
I  am  glad  too  that  his  excellency  has  given  you  the 
admiral  for  your  prisoner,  both  because  of  the  benefit 
to  3'ou  and  because  it  is  a  mark  of  your  merit  on  that 
day.  .  .  .  You  will  now  be  able  to  free  your  patri- 
mony from  incumbrances  when  otherwise  you  would 
liave  been  in  danger  of  remaining  embarrassed  and  in 
the  power  of  others.  It  will  be  a  perpetual  honor  to 
you  that  you,  the  youngest  of  us  all,  have  been  able 
by  your  merits  to  do  more  to  raise  our  house  out  of  its 
ditiiculties  than  have  your  predecessors  or  myself." 

The  admiral's  ransom  was  afterward  fixed  at  a  hun- 
dred thousand  crowns  and  he  was  released  on  parole. 


244         THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

But  two  years  later  it  came  about  that  the  States- 
General,  with  the  consent  of  the  Nassaus,  agreed  to 
release  Mendoza  altogether  without  his  paying  the 
ransom,  on  condition  that  the  Spanish  government 
would  discharge  all  prisoners  of  war  belonging  to  the 
Dutch  republic  who  were  held  in  any  of  the  Spanish 
domains.  So  Lewis  Gunther  freely  relinquished  the 
hundred  thousand  crowns  that  were  to  have  relieved 
the  house  of  Nassau  so  much,  and  took  instead  the 
exceeding  jo}'  of  setting  free  a  great  many  prisoners 
from  the  dungeons  of  Spain  or  from  the  galleys  where 
they  had  toiled  in  chains  so  many  miserable  years. 

The  prince  announced  his  victory  to  Lewis  William 
in  the  most  simple  and  modest  way.  "At  length," 
he  remarked  after  having  written  of  the  long  battle, 
"  it  became  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  and  was  fought 
very  hotly  on  both  sides  for  the  space  of  two  hours. 
Finally  God  graciously  willed  that  the  victory  should 
remain  on  my  side." 

It  was  five  days  after  the  battle  when  the  news  first 
reached  England.  The  governor  of  Calais  wrote  to 
the  French  ambassador  in  London,  and  he  told  it  to 
Caron,  the  ambassador  of  the  States.  Caron  could 
hardly  wait  for  daybreak ;  and  in  spite  of  bad 
weather  he  rode  post  haste  from  London  to  the  palace 
at  Greenwich,  and  waited  on  Sir  Robert  Cecil,  who 
was  still  in  bed.     A  rumor  had  reached  Sir  Robert, 


THE  BATTLE   OF  NIEUPOBT.  245 

also,  through  the  English  ambassador  in  Paris  ;  but  it 
was  that  the  archduke  had  won  the  day.  In  the  midst 
of  this  agitating  suspense  there  arrived  a  bearer  of 
dispatches  from  the  States-General,  and  a  letter  to 
Cecil  from  Sir  Francis  Vere.  The  queen  heard  that 
tidings  had  come,  and  sent  down  to  know  the  particu- 
lars. Caron  made  hasty  notes  of  the  principal  facts, 
and  sent  them  up  to  her  majesty,  but  nothing  would 
satisfy  her  till  she  could  see  Caron.  So  he  was 
obliged  to  appear  in  the  royal  presence  booted  and 
spurred,  and  bespattered  from  head  to  foot  with  mud. 
But  the  queen  cared  for  nothing  at  present  except 
to  hear  every  word  of  Barneveld's  letter  to  the  Dutch 
ambassador.  Caron  read  it  aloud,  translating  from 
Dutch  into  French,  and  the  queen  listened  with 
unbounded  delight.  It  was  natural  that  she  should 
rejoice ;  the  English  and  the  Dutch  had  fought  at 
Nieuport  side  by  side,  and  it  was  Sir  Francis  Vere 
who  had  been  next  to  Prince  Maurice  in  command. 
Had  the  archduke  won  the  day,  it  would  have 
proved  the  overthrow  of  the  Dutch  republic,  and 
England  might  soon  have  had  reason  to  tremble  for 
herself. 

The  queen  declared  that  she  thanked  God  on  her 
knees  for  granting  this  splendid  victory  to  the  United 
Provinces.  She  lavished  her  praises  on  the  wisdom 
and  skill,  as  well  as  the  courage,  of  the  prince  and  the 


246  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

Dutch  government.  "  The  sagacious  administration 
of  the  States,"  said  she,  "is  so  full  of  good  order  and 
policy  as  far  to  surpass  in  its  wisdom  the  intelligence 
of  all  kings  and  potentates.  We  kings  understand 
nothing  of  such  affairs  in  comparison,  but  require,  all 
of  us,  to  go  to  school  to  the  States-General." 

Henry  IV  also  manifested  great  satisfaction  at  the 
news  of  the  victor}^,  in  spite  of  his  being  now  a  pro- 
fessed Catholic.  As  he  heard  of  it  earlier  than  even 
the  Dutch  envoy  at  his  court,  the  king  amused  himself 
by  sending  for  that  personage  and  reading  aloud  the 
account  of  Ernest's  defeat  at  Leffingen  ;  then  he  told 
him  the  whole,  being  unable  to  conceal  any  longer  his 
delight  at  a  victory  which  would  prove  such  a  check 
to  the  designs  of  Spain. 

Three  days  after  the  battle  Maurice  returned  to  the 
vicinity  of  Nieuport ;  but  as  the  garrison  had  been 
reinforced,  and  other  circumstances  were  uupropi- 
tious,  the  States-General  decided  to  abandon  the  enter- 
prise on  which  they  had  been  so  determined.  So  far 
as  recovering  Flanders  was  concerned,  it  had  com- 
pletely failed.  The  moral  effect  of  having  conquered 
in  a  pitched  battle  certainly  was  great,  in  giving 
confidence  to  the  soldiers  of  the  republic  for  the 
future.  Yet  all  who  appreciated  the  extreme  narrow- 
ness of  their  escape  must  have  mingled  many  serious 
reflections    with  thek  rejoicings   at  the  happy  event. 


THE  BATTLE   OF  NIEUPOBT.  217 

For  a  time  the  great  statesmen  were  willing  to  leave 
the  planning  of  campaigns  to  the  great  generals. 

It  was  probably  just  here  that  the  alienation 
between  Barneveld  and  Maurice  began.  The  wise 
statesman  doubtless  felt  the  personal  mortification  of 
having  made  such  a  mistake  in  insisting  npon  the 
invasion  of  Flanders.  He  was  well  aware  that  the 
prince,  when  reduced  to  that  desperate  condition, 
might  have  said  :  "  I  told  you  so ;  "  and  though  it  had 
ended  in  a  victory,  the  glory  of  it  was  upon  Maurice's 
brow,  not  his  own.  Barneveld,  patriot  as  he  was,  had 
still  a  little  of  human  weakness ;  and  Maurice  had 
more.  Each  now  began  to  fear  that  the  other  was 
aspiring  to  control  things  entirely  according  to  his 
own  judgment ;  and  each  feared,  with  good  reason, 
that  harm  would  thus  come  to  the  republic  which  both 
sincerely  loved. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

BEGINNING    OF    THE    SIEGE    OF    OSTEND. 

THE  next  act  of  the  great  Netherlaud  drama 
opened  in  July,  1601.  It  was  destined  to  be 
a  long  and  memorable  one ;  and  its  scenes  were 
nearly  all  to  take  place  around  the  small  seaport  of 
Ostend,  the  only  town  of  Flanders  now  held  by  the 
republic. 

Ostend  was  situated  ten  or  twelve  miles  northeast 
of  Nieuport  and  about  fifteen  west  of  Bruges.  For 
four  or  five  hundred  years  it  was  merely  a  fishing 
village,  with  an  ancient  cliurch  built  by  Robert  the 
Frisian  in  honor  of  Saint  Peter.  In  1445  it  had  been 
enclosed  by  a  wall ;  and  not  far  from  1580  it  had  been 
so  well  fortified  by  the  States  that  the  great  Alex- 
ander of  Parma,  who  made  a  sudden  attack  upon  it  in 
1583,  did  not  succeed.  Its  population  numbered  only 
about  three  thousand,  aside  from  the  garrison. 

The  archdukes  wanted  Ostend,  not  only  because  it 
was  the  only  place  in  Flanders  which  still  defied  tlieir 
authority,  but  still  more  because  it  controlled  the  coast 
and  furnished  a  good  base  for  forays  into  the  sur- 
rounding region  by  its  garrison. 

248 


THE  SIEGE   OF   0  ST  END.  249 

The  States  of  this  province,  according  to  the  meta- 
phorical style  of  those  da^'S,  spoke  of  Ostend  as  a 
thorn  in  the  paw  of  the  Belgic  lion,  which  they  ear- 
nestly implored  the  archduke  to  extract.  They  offered 
to  furnish  funds  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred  thou- 
sand florins  a  month  as  long  as  the  siege  should  con- 
tinue. They  would  also  pay  one  hundred  thousand 
as  soon  as  the  place  should  be  invested,  another  one 
hundred  thousand  when  a  breach  should  be  made,  and 
the  same  on  the  surrender  of  the  town.  Albert  him- 
self, when  informed  that  Parma  had  to  spend  eighteen 
months  in  reducing  Antwerp,  declared  that  he  would 
cheerfully  devote  eighteen  years,  if  necessary,  to  cap- 
ture Ostend. 

During  the  preceding  year  a  vast  amount  of  dam- 
age had  been  inflicted  upon  the  Dutch  shipping  by 
a  notorious  privateersman  called  Admiral  Van  der 
Waecken.  He  had  twelve  or  fourteen  armed  vessels 
making  their  headquarters  at  Dunkirk  and  preying 
continually  upon  defenseless  merchantmen  and  fishing 
smacks.  His  cruelties  to  the  crews  of  these  vessels 
were  almost  beyond  belief.  Sometimes  he  would  nail 
the  men  to  the  floor  of  the  cabin  by  their  hands  and 
feet,  and  then  scuttling  the  ship,  would  let  them  all 
go  to  the  bottom.  Vengeance  happily  overtook  some 
of  these  buccaneers  ;  and  the  admiral  himself,  while 
escaping   to   Spain   with    most    of    his    vessels,    lost 


250        THE  DAYS  OF  phince  maubige. 

many  of  his  men  by  desertion  and  shortly  died.  The 
memory  of  barbarities  like  these  made  the  States  only 
the  more  determined  that  Ostend  should  not  be  con- 
verted into  such  a  den  of  pirates  as  Dunkirk. 

Ostend  lay  at  the  mouth  of  a  little  river  called  the 
Iperleda.  The  original  harbor,  on  the  western  side 
of  the  town,  was  now  so  choked  with  sand  that  it 
could  hardly  be  entered  save  at  full  tide.  There  were 
high  downs  stretching  along  the  shore  like  miniature 
ranges  of  mountains  on  either  side  of  the  town  ;  but 
south  of  it  the  ground  was  so  low  and  marshy  that  it 
was  often  submerged.  Along  the  shore  to  the  west- 
ward there  was  a  dike  forming  a  partial  barrier  to 
the  sea.  To  the  eastward  the  sand  hills  were  so  high 
that  it  had  been  found  necessary  to  level  them  lest 
they  should  be  of  service  to  the  besiegers.  In  conse- 
quence, the  sea  had  broken  over  the  lowered  barriers 
on  that  side,  flooding  the  suburbs.  Even  at  low  tide 
there  now  remained  a  deep  and  broad  channel  at  the 
eastern  side  of  the  town,  through  which  war  ships 
might  well  pass.  The  new  harbor  thus  formed  com- 
pletely supplied  the  place  of  the  old  one,  and  by 
opening  a  passage. through  the  fortifications  there  was 
now  a  snug  haven  within  the  walls  for  vessels  bringing 
supplies. 

The  little  town,  around  whose  walls  one  might  walk 
in  about   half  an  hour,  had    a   regular   counterscarp, 


THE  SIEGE   OF   OS  TEND. 


251 


bastions,  and  casemates.  It  was  further  defended 
by  a  number  of  strong  ravelins  on  the  western  side, 
where  the  old  harbor  no  longer  furnished  any  protec- 
tion, being  so  nearly  filled  up.  The  principal  ones 
were  named  the  Sand-Hill,  the  Porcupine,  and  Hell's 
Mouth.  Toward  the  southwestern  part  of  the  walls 
there  were  some    detached   works    called   the  Polder, 


oo""  0  trooT 


0  Ft  UABUkA 


i.Sano-hili 
?The  PbPcuPiNE 
s'hell'bmoutm" 

4  WEST  SpuARC 

6  Polder  SpuARE 
6  SouTK  Spu«RE 
/Spanish  Hal»-mooN 
e  Spanish  Bulwark 
»  HE.  Bulwark 


0  S-CkARA 


0  SiMlCHACk 


the  Square,  and  the  South  Square.  On  the  east  side, 
bordering  upon  the  new  harbor,  was  a  fortification 
called  the  Spanish  Half-moon. 

The  archduke  had  built  eighteen  fortresses  to  the 
west  and  southwest  of  the  town,  the  largest  of  which 
were  named  the  Saint  Albert,  the  Saint  Isabella,  the 
Saint  Clara,  and  the  Great  Thirst. 

On   the  fifth  of  July,   1601,  just  a  year  and  three 


252  THE  DAYS   OF  PEINCE  MAUBICE. 

days  after  the  battle  of  Nieuport,  Archduke  Albert 
appeared  before  Ostend  to  begin  the  siege.  He  estab- 
lished his  headquarters  at  Fort  Saint  Albert ;  and  his 
wife  was  almost  always  at  the  fort,  having  the  keenest 
interest  in  the  enterprise.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the 
new  harbor,  Frederic  van  den  Berg  was  in  command, 
assisted  by  Count  Bucquoy-Longueval,  the  archduke's 
chief  of  artillery. 

The  garrison  of  Ostend,  commanded  by  Sir  Francis 
Vere,  included  seven  or  eight  thousand  men,  about 
one  fourth  of  whom  were  English.  The  arcliduke's 
forces  numbered  usually  two  or  three  times  as  many. 
But  however  successfully  Ostend  might  be  invested  on 
the  landward  sides,  it  was  not  easy  to  cut  off  its  sup- 
plies. The  new  harbor,  now  called  the  Gullet,  was 
too  broad,  too  deep,  its  rushing  tides  too  powerful,  to 
permit  it  to  be  shut  up. 

There  was  a  new  contrivance,  at  that  time  consid- 
ered quite  wonderful,  by  means  of  which  the  besiegers 
hoped  to  advance  their  works  closer  and  closer  on 
each  side,  in  spite  of  the  sea.  Huge  baskets  of 
wickerwork,  twenty  feet  long,  were  packed  full  of 
bricks  and  sand  and  sunk  in  the  water.  These  got 
the  name  of  "  sausages."  Little  by  little  they  suc- 
ceeded in  thus  building  a  foundation  for  some  bat- 
teries in  the  bed  of  the  old  harbor.  But  before  long 
the  besieged   managed   to   cut   the  sea   dike   in   that 


THE  SIEGE   OF   OSTEND.  253 

quarter,  and  during  storms  and  floodtides  the  waves 
would  rush  in,  sweeping  clean  away  batteries,  gun- 
ners, brick-baskets,  and  all.  Then  the  besiegers 
woukV  do  this  work  all  over  again  ;  and  some  part  of 
it  would  perhaps  withstand  the  next  flood,  so  that 
a  little  progress  was  really  made. 

On  the  east  it  was  much  harder.  Bucquoy  kept 
laying  his  sausages  along  the  edge  of  the  rushing 
water  in  hopes  at  length  to  have  a  dike  and  a  platform 
there  on  which  he  could  plant  a  battery.  Then  he 
would  be  able  to  keep  away  all  vessels  bringing 
reinforcements  or  supplies.  But  the  guns  on  the 
Half-moon  opposite  were  perpetually  playing  on  his 
pioneers  as  they  labored,  killing  not  a  few  ;  and  the 
high  waves  often  demolished  their  works  and  drowned 
the  men.  Meanwhile  the  adroit  Dutch  skippers  would 
coolly  sail  past  and  discharge  their  cargoes  within  the 
walls,  just  as  if  nobody  had  any  objection.  All  sorts 
of  provisions  were  abundant  and  cheap  in  Ostend, 
so  regular  and  ample  were  the  supplies  sent  by  the 
States.  The  archduke's  prospects  of  starving  the  city 
into  submission  did  not  look  very  bright. 

There  was  much  cannonading  from  flfty  great  guns, 
whose  balls  weighed  from  ten  to  forty  pounds  apiece. 
On  an  average,  there  used  to  be  fired  a  thousand  shots 
a  day  by  the  besiegers  ;  and  it  is  related  that  the 
Infanta  would  sometimes  touch  off   a   forty-pounder 


254  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

with  her  own  dainty  hand  to  stimulate  the  gunners. 
In  that  day  it  was  thought  a  prodigious  affair  to  use 
artillery  to  such  an  extent,  and  all  Europe  thought 
it  worth  while  to  gaze.  But  the  cannons  at  Ostend 
would  seem  mere  popguns  beside  those  now  in  use, 
and  their  artillerymen  would  have  thought  the  skill 
displayed  at  the  present  day  simply  miraculous.  Yet 
no  soldiers  can  be  more  daring,  no  patriots  more 
devoted  than  were  those  who  lived  three  hundred 
years  ago. 

Before  the  siege  of  Ostend  was  begun,  the  States- 
General  urged  Prince  Maurice  to  make  a  foray  into 
Flanders,  in  the  hope  of  driving  away  the  archduke 
before  he  had  accomplished  anything.  But  Maurice 
decided  to  devote  himself  to  guarding  the  eastern 
frontier  of  the  United  Provinces,  so  as  to  hinder  the 
sending  of  supplies  from  that  quarter  to  the  arch- 
duke. Early  in  June  he  appeared  before  Rheinberg 
and  laid  siege  to  it.  In  the  midst  of  this  he  was 
obliged  to  send  two  thousand  of  his  English  troops, 
by  order  of  the  States,  to  reinforce  the  garrison  of 
Ostend.  He  had  now  only  eight  thousand  men, 
nevertheless  he  went  on  with  the  siege ;  and  about 
the  middle  of  July  he  exploded  a  mine  which  blew 
many  of  the  garrison  into  the  air.  One  of  these 
victims  alighted  in  the  prince's  camp,  not  much 
injured,  strange   to  say ;  and  was  able   to  report  the 


THE  SIEGE   OF   OSTEND.  255 

condition  of  the  town  at  the  moment  when  he  left  it 
BO  unexpectedly. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  July  the  garrison  of  Rheinberg 
sun'endered  and  the  prince  gave  honorable  terms,  as 
he  usually  did  in  such  cases.  No  citizen  was  required 
to  leave  the  town,  and  the  garrison  departed  with  the 
honors  of  war.  The  public  worship  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church  was  not  permitted,  but  there  was  not 
to  be  any  inquiry  into  private  services  or  individual 
beliefs.  The  next  week  the  city  of  Meurs  also  capit- 
ulated. In  November  Maurice  invested  Bois  le  Due ; 
but  a  sudden  frost  sheeted  the  rivers  and  canals  with 
ice,  and  fearing  Holland  might  be  invaded,  he  raised 
the  siege. 

All  through  the  autumn  the  cannonading  went  on 
at  Ostend  with  deadly  effect.  Many  dwellings  were 
burned  and  many  people  killed  within  the  walls,  and 
pestilence  swept  off  more  than  fell  by  the  enemy's 
shots.  The  governor.  Sir  Francis  Vere,  was  at  one 
time  compelled  to  go  away  for  six  weeks  to  be  cured 
of  a  wound.  By  December  only  three  thousand  of 
the  garrison  survived,  and  not  more  than  eight  thou- 
sand of  the  besiegers.  The  ravelin  called  the  Porcu- 
pine, a  very  important  work  though  small,  was  much 
damaged  by  the  waves ;  and  while  the  besieged 
labored  incessantly  to  repair  it,  they  were  baffled  by 
the  rushing  wintry  tides,  as  well  as  by  the  efforts  of 


256  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

the  enemy,  who  set  fire  to  a  quantity  of  the  materials 
for  the  work.  For  weeks  no  reinforcements  arrived, 
and  the  garrison  was  dwindling  day  by  day. 

On  the  morning  of  December  23,  Sir  Francis  Vere 
perceived  that  the  garrison  was  no  longer  sufficient 
to  hold  the  external  works  at  the  southwest  part  of 
the  walls  ;  and  he  gave  orders  that  on  the  next  day 
the  men  should  withdraw  from  the  Square  and  the 
Polder  in  order  to  concentrate  within  the  walls.  His 
own  quarters  had  hitherto  been  in  one  of  these 
detached  forts  ;  and  to  be  forced  to  retire  within  the 
town  seemed  like  defeat.  But  during  the  day  he 
learned  from  a  deserter  that  the  archduke  was  intend- 
ing to  storm  the  place  on  all  sides  that  very  evening. 
If  these  forts  must  be  abandoned  to  the  enemy  for 
want  of  men  to  hold  them,  they  might  as  well 
surrender  outright. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


THE    CHRISTMAS    PARLEY. 


THAT  day  —  Sunday,  December  23  —  was  an 
anxious  one  for  Sir  Francis  Vere  and  for 
everybody  else  in  Ostend.  The  situation  was  gloomy 
indeed.  The  course  which  Vere  took  has  been  vari- 
ously represented  and  commented  upon  by  different 
writers  of  that  period  and  of  recent  times.  The 
story  is  told  in  a  work  published  at  Leyden  only 
eleven  years  afterwards,  —  Les  Lauriers  de  Nassau,  — 
in  a  way  that  seems  in  a  great  degree  to  harmonize  the 
apparently  conflicting  accounts  ^  of  others. 

It  would  seem  that  about  two  o'clock  that  afternoon, 
Vere  sent  four  captains  to  examine  and  report  upon 
the  condition  of  the  Porcupine,  whether  it  could  be 
held  in  case  of  assault.  While  they  were  there,  about 
three  o'clock.  Captain  Louis  de  Couture  came  to  the 
same  work,  sent  by  Vere  to  ask  a  parley.  It  is 
expressly  stated  that  "  this  was  done  without  the 
advice  of  any  of  the  captains."  The  archduke  agreed 
to  the  conference,  and  two  English  officers.  Ogle  and 

'  United  Netherlands,  vol.  iv,  pp.  77-86,  and  The  Fighting  Veres,  pp. 
320-323. 

257 


258  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  31  AU BICE. 

Fairfax,  were  immediately  sent  as  hostages  to  the 
archduke's  camp.  He  received  them  with  ceremonious 
politeness,  and  inquired  if  they  were  empowered  to 
treat  for  the  surrender  of  the  town.  They  were  not, 
they  replied,  but  were  only  hostages  for  the  safety 
of  the  commissioners  whom  it  was  expected  that  he 
would  send  to  confer  with  Governor  Vere.  Accord- 
ingly, about  five  o'clock  the  same  evening,  he  sent 
two  highly  respected  officers,  Don  Antonio,  quarter- 
master general  of  his  army,  and  Matteo  Serrano,  the 
governor  of  Sluys,  who  was  at  this  time  serving  in  the 
besieging  army. 

As  the  days  were  at  the  shortest,  it  was  dark  when 
they  arrived  at  Osteud,  which  they  entered  on  the 
western  side.  On  the  way  to  headquarters  they  heard 
a  great  uproar  and  beating  to  arms  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  town.  They  knew  nothing  about  the  cause  of 
it,  and  were  confounded  and  indignant  when  Vere, 
apparently  in  a  great  rage,  declared  that  the  Spaniards 
were  deceiving  him,  and  were  about  to  storm  the  town 
in  spite  of  the  truce.  Without  giving  them  a  chance 
to  protest  their  innocence,  the  governor  went  on  to 
declare  that  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  them ; 
and  he  directed  the  officers  who  had  escorted  them  into 
his  presence  to  take  them  back  again  immediately. 

So  much  time  was  consumed  in  going  to  and  fro 
through  the  dark  and    miry   streets    that   when    they 


THE   CHBISTMAS  FABLE Y.  269 

arrived  at  the  point  where  they  had  crossed  the  old 
harbor  before,  the  tide  was  so  high  that  they  were 
unable  to  return  that  way.  Vere  had  all  the  time  been 
perfectly  aware  that  they  would  find  it  so.  Then  they 
were  conducted  to  headquarters  once  more  ;  and  being 
very  tired  they  begged  to  be  allowed  to  remain  in 
Ostend  till  morning  —  in  a  guardhouse,  if  necessary. 
But  the  governor  would  not  permit  even  this,  and 
ordered  the  escorting  officers  to  conduct  them  across 
to  the  new  harbor,  whence  they  might  be  sent  in  a 
boat  to  their  own  entrenchments.  Moreover,  he  gave 
private  instructions  that  they  should  be  h.'d  thither 
by  the  most  roundabout  course  ;  and  so  it  was  not 
until  they  had  plodded  long  through  the  most  filthy 
and  dismal  streets  of  the  town,  in  the  darkness 
and  sleet,  that  they  reached  the  Half-moon,  quite 
worn  out. 

"Ah,  the  villainous  town  of  Ostend!"  ejaculated 
Serrano,  surveying  his  bespattered  condition  with  dis- 
gust. He  begged  the  small  consolation  of  a  pipe  of 
tobacco,  but  none  was  to  be  had  at  the  Half -moon. 
However,  four  flagons  of  foaming  ale  were  set  before 
the  two  Spaniards,  and  after  they  had  drunk  they 
were  rowed  across  the  new  harbor  and  committed  to 
the  sentries  of  Bucquoy's  division.  As  it  was  now 
midnight,  they  remained  there  till  morning,  and  then 
proceeded  to  the  quarters  of  the  archduke. 


260  THE  DATS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

One  would  suppose  that  this  would  have  ended  the 
parley.  But  as  Ogle  and  Fairfax  declared  that  there 
must  have  been  some  unaccountable  misunderstand- 
ing, the  commissioners  were  sent  back  to  the  town, 
with  orders  to  arrange  for  the  capitulation  as  soon 
as  possible. 

It  appears  that  Vere  had  called  together  all  the 
captains,  at  one  o'clock  that  Monday  morning,  and 
had  presented  the  case,  dwelling  much  on  the  weak- 
ness of  the  garrison  and  the  difficulty  of  holding  all 
the  works,  should  there  be  an  assault.  He  asked 
whether  the  officers  would  not  think  it  wise  to  destroy 
certain  of  the  outworks,  which  they  could  not  well 
hold,  and  place  those  who  had  manned  them  in  the 
fortifications  where  they  were  more  needed.  It  was 
decided  to  I'aze  the  South  Square  ;  but  this  was  not 
actually  done,  on  account  of  an  unforeseen  circum- 
stance. 

At  nine  the  same  morning  Vere  summoned  all  the 
officers  again  to  his  quarters.  He  now  told  them  why 
he  had  entered  into  communication  with  the  archduke, 
which  he  had  done  on  his  own  responsibility.  He 
stated,  as  he  afterwards  wrote  to  the  States-General, 
that  he  had  tliought  it  well  to  deceive  and  amuse  the 
enemy,  in  order  to  gain  time  and  be  able  to  finish  cer- 
tain redoubts  in  the  old  town.  Besides,  he  had  some 
hope  of  being  reinforced. 


THE  CHRISTMAS  P ABLET.  261 

What  the  officers  thought  of  this  dishonorable  strat- 
agem is  not  known.  If  they  regarded  it  as  it  would 
be  regarded  in  our  day,  they  must  have  been  glad  that 
they  had  not  been  partakers  iu  the  plot. 

The  commissioners  did  not  arrive  in  the  town  tlie 
second  time  till  rather  late  in  the  afternoon.  When 
the  sergeant  major  who  had  escorted  them  the  night 
before  announced  that  the  two  dignitaries  had  returned, 
and  asked  by  what  road  he  should  conduct  them  to  the 
governor's  quarters,  Vere  replied  that  he  must  be  care- 
ful to  choose  the  softest  and  muddiest  streets,  lest 
their  feet,  accustomed  to  the  sandy  beach,  should 
suffer  from  the  rough  paving  stones.  So  this  was 
explained  to  tlie  commissioners,  and  in  spite  of  their 
remonstrances  they  had  to  follow  through  miry  and 
crooked  ways,  until  at  last  they  were  brought  into  the 
presence  of  the  commander. 

Sir  Francis  Vere  is  described  by  Motley  as  "  a  man 
of  handsome,  weatherbeaten,  battle-bronzed  visage, 
with  massive  forehead,  broad  intelligent  eyes,  a  high, 
straight  nose,  close-clipped  hair,  and  a  great  brown 
beard  like  a  spade."  He  wore  usually  a  gold-inlaid 
corselet  of  Milan  and  a  ruff  of  point  lace.  This  time 
he  received  the  Spaniards  in  the  most  gracious  and 
affable  manner,  showing  them  every  possible  attention. 
They  gravely  acknowledged  his  civilities ;  and  then 
Vere   made   excuses  for  the   misunderstanding:  which 


262  THE  DAYS   OF  FItlNCE  MAURICE. 

had  caused  them  so  much  iuconveuience  the  evening 
before.  Then  they  talked  about  the  false  alarm,  each 
wondering  what  caused  it ;  and  thus  time  slipped 
away,  just  as  Vere  wished.  After  a  while  the  com- 
missioners came  bluntl}'  out  with  the  question  :  "What 
terms  of  negotiation  do  you  propose  ?  " 

"His  highness  has  only  to  withdraw,  and  leave 
us,  his  poor  neighbors,  in  peace,"  replied  Vere. 
"  This  would  be  the  easiest  and  best  arrangement,  to 
our  minds." 

"  But  the  archduke  sent  us  to  treat  for  your  sur- 
render," urged  the  commissioners,  "  not  for  his  with- 
drawal." And  now  the  matter  was  discussed  in  good 
earnest,  with  hot  and  sharp  words  tossed  back  and 
forth  for  a  long  time.  At  length  Sir  Francis  spoke 
of  supper  and  urged  the  commissioners  to  stay. 

As  the  next  day  would  be  Christmas,  according  to 
the  new  style  of  reckoning  (which  had  not  yet  been 
adopted  by  the  English) ,  this  evening  was  for  all  good 
Catholics  a  strict  fast.  So  the  Spaniards  were  offered 
fish,  eggs,  and  other  dishes  permitted  on  fast  days. 
Wine  was  abundant,  however,  and  the  servants  in 
attendance  were  struck  by  the  rapidity  with  which  it 
disappeared.  Governor  Serrano  was  said  to  have 
drunk  fifty-two  goblets  of  claret,  besides  some  beer ; 
and  instead  of  getting  hilarious,  he  grew  only  the  more 
dignified  each  time  he  drained  his  glass.     While  they 


THE   CHRISTMAS  P ABLET.  263 

drank  they  were  still  talking  about  the  capitulation, 
]»ut  coming  no  nearer  to  an  agreement  than  at  first. 

Vere  remarked,  in  substance,  "It  is  unreasonable 
in  the  archduke  to  demand  that  we  give  up  the  town, 
which  is  all  we  have." 

"  But  Ostend,  with  all  the  rest  of  Flanders,"  re- 
joined the  commissioners,  "belongs  to  his  highness 
by  the  legal  gift  of  his  late  majesty,  Philip  II." 

"Nevertheless,"  replied  Vere,  "it  is  at  present 
ours  ;  and  in  England  they  always  say  that  posses- 
sion is  nine  points  of  the  law.  Do  you  think  we 
shall  give  it  away?" 

Then  he  went  on  to  compliment  the  valor  and  per- 
severance of  the  besiegers  in  holding  out  so  long  in 
spite  of  dangers  and  hardships  ;  but  he  added  that 
since  it  was  now  winter,  and  they  had  so  far  gained 
nothing,  they  would  do  well  to  be  content  with  the 
glory  already  earned,  and  betake  themselves  to  winter 
quarters. 

Sei'rano  remarked  that  the  archduke  knew  perfectly 
well  how  reduced  the  garrison  had  become,  so  that 
they  could  not  hold  their  outer  works  any  longer. 
Of  course  there  could  now  be  no  hope  for  them  ;  and 
they  must  needs  burrow  in  the  middle  of  their  ruined 
nest,  from  which  the  besiegers  were  sure  shortly  to 
bring  them,  without  any  trouble. 

By-and-by,    between    the    hard    drinking   and    the 


264         THE  DATS   OF  PRINCE  ^lAUBlCE. 

fatigue,  the  Spaniards  consented  to  remain  for  the 
night.  Meanwhile  it  had  been  reported  through  all 
the  country  round  that  negotiations  were  in  progress, 
and  it  was  taken  for  granted  that  there  would  be 
no  more  fighting.  The  thorn  in  the  lion's  paw  was 
as  good  as  extracted,  and  great  were  the  rejoicings 
that  had  begun.  Next  morning  Archduke  Albert,  in 
splendid  armor  and  with  stately  plumes  waving  ou 
his  helmet,  was  riding  to  and  fro  in  the  presence  of 
a  great  concourse  of  people  who  had  gathered  before 
the  town.  Isabella  was  also  there,  well  mounted  and 
magnificently  attired.  A  gay  cavalcade  of  ladies  of 
her  court  attended  her,  all  gorgeously  arrayed.  They 
were  every  moment  expecting  a  deputation  from  the 
town,  submissively  bringing  its  keys.  Everybody, 
whether  soldier,  burgher,  or  peasant,  was  making 
merry,  singing,  skating,  feasting,  drinking  ;  they  were 
sure  that  Ostend  was  won  and  the  war  as  good  as 
ended. 

But  in  the  early  morning  the  longing  eyes  of  the 
besieged  joyfully  beheld  three  Dutch  men-of-war  com- 
ing to  their  rescue.  The  wind  had  changed  during 
the  night,  and  the  long-delayed  vessels,  apparently 
crowded  with  troops,  were  sailing  directly  into  the 
new  harbor.  The  good  news  quickly  reached  head- 
quarters. It  was  just  what  the  governor  had  hoped 
might  happen,  but  it  had  come  even  sooner  than  he 


THE  CHRISTMAS  PAULEY.  265 

expected.  So  he  coolly  told  the  commissioners  that, 
having  been  reinforced,  it  would  not  yet  be  necessary 
for  him  to  retire  into  his  ruined  nest.  He  would  not 
detain  them  any  longer ;  should  he  ever  again  be  so 
sorely  pressed,  he  felt  sure  that  his  highness  would 
magnanimously  grant  all  due  clemency,  as  it  seemed 
his  nature  to  do. 

That  day  Sir  Francis  Vere  wrote  to  the  States- 
General  a  letter  which  the  historian  Meteren  quotes 
in  full.     The  following  is  the  chief  part  of  it :  — 

But  forasmuch  as  this  step  [the  abandonhig  of  the  detached  forts] 
would  inevitably  cause  the  loss  of  the  town,  in  order  to  prevent  that 
calamity,  we  made  use  of  this  stratagem,  to  enter  into  communica- 
tion with  the  enemy  in  order  thus  to  amuse  him  and  gain  time, 
and  to  be  able  to  wait  for  succor  from  your  highnesses ;  and  .  .  . 
to  be  able  to  repair  and  put  in  better  defense  all  the  places,  .  .  . 
especially  the  old  town,  the  Porcupine,  etc. 

Then  after  mentioning  the  arrival  of  the  troops  that 
morning,  he  adds  :  — 

For  by  this  means  we  have  had  occasion  to  give  a  brief,  peremp- 
tory, and  full  reply  to  those  who  had  come  here  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy  —  to  wit,  that  since  we  had  received  this  morning  what 
was  In  part  lacking  to  us,  we  could  not  with  honor  and  agreeably 
to  our  duty  go  farther  in  this  negotiation. 

This  treacherous  dealing  was  not  commended  even 
iu  those  times.  An  officer  who  should  do  the  like  at 
the  present  day  would  hardly  be  able  to  hold  up  his 
head  before  either  friends  or  foes. 


266         THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

The  Spanish  commissioners,  agreeably  to  the  cus- 
tom of  that  reserved  and  haughty  people,  did  not 
condescend  to  tell  Sir  Francis  what  they  thought  of 
him,  but  solemnly  departed  under  escort,  to  report 
their  ill  success.  The  Dutch  ships  got  safely  past  the 
batteries  of  Bucquoy,  which  did  their  best  but  only 
wounded  two  men ;  and  sailed  into  the  haven  within 
the  city  walls.  The  festivities  outside  were  broken 
off,  the  disappointed  crowds  scattered,  the  English 
hostages  returned  to  Ostend  ;  and  meanwhile  the  arch- 
duke, highly  incensed,  shut  himself  up  alone  to  growl 
over  the  perfidy  of  Vere  and  to  meditate  revenge. 

His  soldiers  also  were  unhappy  and  full  of  com- 
plainings. They  were  ill-fed,  unpaid,  and  altogether 
wretched,  while  the  archdukes  were  living  magnifi- 
centl}',  even  beyond  sovereigns  of  former  years.  And 
every  now  and  then  the  archduke  would  put  some 
favorite  of  his  own  in  the  place  of  some  veteran  offi- 
cer whom  he  was  not  at  all  fit  to  supersede. 

Vere  was  continually  on  the  alert,  knowing  that  there 
might  be  a  general  assault  almost  any  time.  The  six 
hundred  men  lately  arrived  enabled  him  still  to  hold 
the  external  fortifications ;  and  he  hoped  soon  to  be 
further  reinforced.  Within  a  few  days  he  found  out 
that  a  grand  assault  was  to  be  made  the  next  week, 
and  he  did  his  utmost  to  prepare  Ostend  for  the  recep- 
tion of    its    expected    invaders.     As    the   three  chief 


THE   CHRISTMAS  PABLET.  267 

ravelins  fronting  the  old  harbor  would  doubtless  have 
to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  attack,  he  placed  in  them  the 
best  part  of  his  troops.  His  brother,  Sir  Horace, 
was  in  command  of  twelve  picked  companies  at  the 
Sand-hill,  which  was  the  farthest  north  and  the  most 
important  of  the  three. 

There  was  living  in  Ostend  a  remarkable  man 
named  Philip  Fleming,  the  auditor  and  secretary  of 
the  city,  who  was  of  great  service  to  Governor  Vera 
and  to  his  successors  throughout  the  siege.  Though 
not  a  military  man,  he  possessed  enough  courage, 
coolness,  and  sagacity  for  a  general.  He  was  so 
quick  to  discern  dangers,  to  discover  opportunities, 
to  invent  expedients,  that  he  really  filled  a  most  im- 
portant place  in  military  matters  without  holding  any 
office,  save  in  municipal  affairs.  This  "  grim,  grizzled, 
leathern-faced  man  of  fifty "  was  in  fact  the  com- 
mander's chief  aid-de-camp,  ever  at  his  side  in  danger, 
unless  he  was  more  needed  somewhere  else,  ready  to 
do  or  dare  anything,  and  often  making  suggestions  of 
great  value.  Among  his  other  duties  Auditor  Fleming 
took  time  to  keep  a  regular  diai'y  of  the  siege,  record- 
ing minutely  the  events  of  each  day.  This  was  after- 
wards published  and  is  considered  the  best  history  of 
the  matter  that  exists.  Being  in  Dutch,  however,  it 
is  of  service  to  fewer  readers  than  the  accounts  in 
French. 


268  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

While  Vere  was  hastening  the  repairs  needed,  Audi- 
tor Fleming  remarked  that  it  might  be  well  to  have 
in  readiness  materials  to  stop  the  breaches  that  the 
assailants  would  make  in  trying  to  storm  the  walls. 
Accordingly  a  few  houses  were  demolished  for  this 
purpose,  since  there  was  no  other  way. 

From  morning  to  night  of  the  seventh  of  January 
there  was  a  great  cannonading  of  the  town.  Two 
thousand  shot  were  actually  counted  during  the  day. 
Vere  knew  what  might  be  expected  to  follow.  As  the 
tide  would  be  out  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the 
bed  of  the  old  harbor  could  easily  be  crossed  on  foot. 
Having  gone  the  rounds  to  see  that  all  were  at  their 
respective  posts,  he  sat  upon  his  horse  at  the  Sand- 
hill awaiting  the  onset  of  the  foe.  He  had  not  to 
wait  long.  On  they  came  through  the  darkness  like 
a  great  surge  dashing  furiously  against  the  walls. 
Now  was  the  time  !  At  a  word  from  the  commander 
a  great  blaze  flared  up  from  a  heap  of  tar  barrels  and 
other  inflammable  materials  which  had  been  arranged 
for  the  occasion  in  the  Porcupine.  The  vivid  glare 
fell  upon  the  loug  lines  of  pikemeu  rushing  up  to  the 
works  with  their  scaling  ladders,  and  the  gunners 
directed  their  fire  full  upon  them  with  deadly  effect. 
Behind  them,  reserved  masses  of  spearmen  could  be 
discerned,  ready  to  support  the  storming  party  ;  and 
still  farther  off  strong  squadrons  of  horse  were  visible. 


THE   CHBISTMAS  FABLE Y.  269 

As  the}'  came  near,  the  assailants  fell  in  heaps  at  each 
volley  of  musketry  ;  and  those  who  tried  to  storm  any 
breach  were  met  by  men  who  fought  even  more  desper- 
ately than  themselves. 

Thus  the  struggle  went  on  for  nearly  two  hours. 
Then  the  ever-ready  Auditor  Fleming,  aware  that  the 
tide  was  now  rising,  desired  leave  to  open  the  western 
sluice  and  thus  cut  off  the  retreat  which  he  saw  was 
about  to  begin.  The  sudden  rush  of  the  waters 
through  the  floodgate  created  a  panic  in  the  broken 
ranks  of  the  storming  party.  They  tried  to  run  back 
across  the  harbor  to  their  camp  on  the  other  side  ;  but 
it  was  too  late,  and  a  great  number  were  drowned. 
Those  who  had  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  detached 
forts  on  the  south  side  were  now  overpowered  and 
slain.  On  the  east  side  the  attack  was  not  promptly 
begun,  and  the  water  in  the  new  harbor  being  never 
shallow  enough  for  wading,  nothing  of  consequence 
was  accomplished.  Two  thousand  of  the  archduke's 
army  were  either  killed  in  the  fight  or  drowned  ;  while 
the  loss  of  the  garrison  was  only  sixty. 

Then  there  was  a  long  period  of  wintry  tempests 
which  prevented  any  important  movement  on  either 
side.  Pestilence  raged  in  the  camp  as  well  as  in  the 
town.  In  March,  1602,  Sir  Francis  Vere  was  called 
to  service  in  the  field,  and  Colonel  Frederic  van  Dorp 
succeeded  him  in  command  at  Ostend. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  INDIA  TRADE,  AND  THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  WAR. 

JUST  about  this  time  au  event  occurred  which  had 
a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  future  of  the  Neth- 
erlands and  with  the  outcome  of  their  great  struggle 
for  independence,  though  it  was  not  at  all  of  a  military 
character.  Within  a  few  years  the  Dutch  had  learned 
how  to  reach  the  East  Indies  by  way  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and  already  a  profitable  commerce  was 
going  on.  A  number  of  private  companies  had  been 
formed  for  this  purpose  ;  and  it  was  evident  that  a 
vast  deal  of  money  could  be  made  in  trading  with  the 
East  Indies,  if  it  could  be  carried  on  upon  a  much 
more  extensive  scale. 

In  England,  whose  people  were  also  interested  in 
commerce  with  India,  the  queen  had,  on  the  last  day 
of  the  year  1600,  chartered  a  company  having  the 
monopoly  of  that  trade.  There  were  reasons  for 
granting  the  monopoly  at  that  period ;  and  those 
already  engaged  in  the  trade  were  invited  to  associate 
themselves  with  the  great  company  and  share  in  its 
undertakings. 

The  Dutch  East  India  Company,  following  the  same 
270 


THE  INDIA    TRADE.  271 

general  plan,  but  on  a  larger  scale,  was  chartered  by 
the  States-General,  March  20,  1602.  Its  original 
capital  was  five  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds 
sterling,  while  that  of  the  English  company  was  only 
seventy-two  thousand.  Half  of  this  capital  was  sub- 
scribed in  the  city  of  Amsterdam  alone ;  a  fourth 
came  from  other  Dutch  cities,  and  the  rest  from  the 
province  of  Zealand.  A  great  amount  of  money  had 
to  be  expended  in  permanent  works,  forts,  factories, 
and  the  like,  in  the  East  Indies  ;  and  also  a  great  deal 
in  providing  fleets,  for  it  was  necessary  to  have 
men-of-war  to  protect  their  commerce.  And,  like  the 
English,  the  Dutch  company  founded  in  the  East  an 
empire  larger  than  their  dominions  at  home. 

The  Dutch  company  was  far  more  under  the  control 
of  the  States-General  than  the  English  company  was 
under  that  of  their  parliament ;  in  the  course  of  time 
harm  came  of  this  too  close  relation.  There  was  a 
board  of  directors,  who  managed  the  business  of  the 
company ;  and  the  States  gave  them  large  powers  to 
enter  into  treaties  with  the  native  sovereigns  and 
even  to  make  war  and  peace.  There  was  a  great 
demand  in  Europe  for  the  various  spices  of  the 
East  Indies  ;  and  the  company  wished  to  get  a  mo- 
nopoly of  that  trade,  so  as  to  put  up  the  price  enor- 
mously. Out  of  this  effort  grew  many  difficulties 
between   the    Dutch   and   English,    which   lasted    for 


272  THE  DAYS   OF  PEINCE  MAURICE. 

generations  ;  and  of  course  there  was  always  trouble 
with  Spain,  as  that  power  claimed  the  East  Indies  as 
her  own  private  property,  as  well  as  much  of  Europe, 
and  all  of  America. 

In  the  course  of  this  very  year,  before  the  com- 
pany sent  out  its  first  fleet,  a  Dutch  skipper  named 
Wolfert  Hermann,  with  five  trading  vessels,  routed  an 
imposing  Portuguese  expedition,  numbering  twenty- 
five  ships,  on  its  way  to  punish  the  king  of  Bantam,  in 
Java,  for  having  dared  to  trade  with  other  European 
people  ;  and  this  led  to  the  founding  of  Batavia,  the 
first  trading  settlement  of  the  Dutch  in  the  East 
Indies.  Other  Netherland  captains,  of  whom  Jacob 
Heemskirk  was  one,  established  friendly  relations  with 
native  rulers  in  that  part  of  the  world,  and  one  of 
them  took  back  with  him  to  the  Netherlands  several 
ambassadors  from  Sumatra,  who  were  profoundly 
impressed  by  what  they  observed.  Thus  the  way  was 
still  further  opened  for  the  new  East  India  Company. 

The  States-General  were  again  anxious  that  Prince 
Maurice  should  march  into  Flanders,  hoping  that  he 
might  thus  be  able  to  save  Ostend.  Vere  also  thought 
it  might  be  done ;  but,  as  befoi'e,  the  prince  and  the 
sagacious  Lewis  William  disapproved  of  running  so 
great  a  risk.  However,  Maurice  yielded  to  the  States, 
and  did  enter  the  Obedient  Provinces,  advancing  to  the 
vicinity  of  Thienen,  in  Brabant.     He  had  a  splendid 


PBOGBESS   OF   THE   WAB.  273 

array,  numbering  eighteen  thousand  foot  and  five 
thousand  horse  ;  Lewis  William  commanded  the  cen- 
ter, Vere  the  right,  and  Ernest  the  left.  He  was  now 
within  a  day's  march  of  Brussels,  the  archduke's 
capital ;  and  Albert  felt  obliged  to  quit  Ostend  for  a 
time,  leaving  some  one  else  to  carry  on  the  siege,  in 
order  to  watch  Maurice's  movements.  The  admiral  of 
Aragon  was  not  far  off,  with  fifteen  thousand  men  in 
an  entrenched  camp ;  and  he  thought  best  to  stay 
there.  As  his  position  was  so  strong,  Prince  Maurice 
did  not  make  an  attack ;  and  before  long  he  moved 
northward  and  laid  siege  to  Grave.  This  important 
town  had  been  lost  by  the  treachery  of  its  commander 
some  time  before ;  and  after  a  very  scientific  and 
masterly  siege,  lasting  sixty  days,  it  surrendered  on 
the  eighteenth  of  September,  1602. 

In  the  mean  time  there  was  a  mutiny  among  the 
Catholic  forces  which  became  a  most  serious  affair. 
As  usual,  the  men  had  been  long  unpaid,  and  had 
become  desperate  enough  to  march  away  in  large 
bodies.  There  were  about  three  thousand  five  hun- 
dred who  took  possession  of  the  city  of  Hoogstraaten. 
They  established  a  strict  government,  and  though 
they  lived  by  daily  plundering  the  country  around, 
they  divided  it  among  themselves  "  with  the  simplicity 
of  the  early  Christians."  Anybody  who  took  booty 
on  his  own  private  account  was  severely  dealt  with. 


274  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

Albert  denounced  them  as  accursed  outlaws,  and 
offered  rewards  for  their  heads.  The  mutineers 
responded  by  publishing  a  bold  and  defiant  mani- 
festo, setting  forth  their  grievances  before  the  world. 
Their  numbers  increased  to  five  thousand  ;  and  they 
found  some  sympathy.  They  opened  negotiations 
with  Prince  Maurice,  and  for  a  considerable  time  were 
in  the  service  of  the  States. 

Through  1602,  the  siege  of  Ostend  still  went  on, 
but  the  eud  seemed  no  nearer.  On  both  sides,  labors 
and  hardships  were  immense.  During  the  ten  months 
following  the  appointment  of  Governor  Van  Dorp,  not 
less  than  four  thousand  men  died  in  Ostend  and  prob- 
ably twice  as  many  in  the  Spanish  camp.  But  the 
besieged  still  held  their  outworks.  When  the  Span- 
iards attempted  to  make  subterranean  galleries  they 
would  meet  in  the  darkness  alert  and  desperate  foes, 
who  had  divined  their  stealthy  approach  and  could 
mine  as  well  as  themselves.  The  enemy  toiled  inces- 
santly to  construct  a  firm  foundation  for  batteries,  so 
as  to  make  the  Gullet  impassable  ;  and  the  besieged 
over  against  them  were  working  with  might  and  main 
to  prepare  still  another  entrance  from  the  sea,  which 
might  serve  them  if  the  present  one  should  be  closed. 
Both  were  perpetually  under  fire. 

Queen  Elizabeth  died  in  March,  1603,  and  her  king- 
dom passed  into  the  hands  of  James  Stuart,  the  king 


PMOGRESS   OF    THE    WAR.  275 

of  Scotland.  The  great  queen  was  nearly  seventy 
years  of  age ;  her  reign  had  begun  even  before  the 
outbreak  of  the  Netherland  war.  Though  in  her  deal- 
ings with  the  Provinces  she  had  often  been  capricious 
and  ill-tempered,  her  assistance  had  been  invaluable. 
There  was  not  a  little  anxiety  as  to  what  her  successor 
might  do.  No  time  was  lost  in  presenting  the  case  of 
the  young  Netherland  republic  at  the  court  of  James. 
Barneveld  was  accompanied  by  Count  Frederic  Henry 
of  Nassau,  Brederode,  and  other  eminent  personages. 
The  other  European  powers,  both  small  and  great, 
were  equally  prompt  in  sending  deputations  to  salute 
the  new  monarch,  among  which  of  course  appeared 
those  of  the  archdukes  and  Spain. 

The  interview  of  the  Dutch  envoys  with  the  king 
was  brief  and  not  very  encouraging.  Barnevcld's 
address,  though  beginning  with  compliment  after  the 
custom  of  the  time,  was  an  able  and  earnest  plea  for 
the  continuance  of  aid  to  the  Netherlands,  whose  in- 
terests were  so  intimately  connected  with  England's 
own.  The  king  replied  cautiously  and  vaguely  that 
he  felt  good  will  to  the  republic,  certainly ;  and  like- 
wise to  Spain.  He  did  not  feel  prepared  to  say  at 
once  what  he  would  do.  In  truth  he  was  a  student 
rather  than  a  warrior. 

This  was  discouraging  ;  but  after  a  time,  through 
the  influence  of  tlie  French  ambassador  in  London  — 


276  THE  DAYS   OF  FBINCE  MAUBIGE. 

afterward  known  as  the  duke  of  Sully  —  Barneveld 
succeeded  in  bringing  about  an  agreement  between 
the  English  and  French  sovereigns  jointly  to  help  the 
United  Provinces  to  some  extent  with  troops.  But  as 
the  French  king  was  bound  by  a  treaty  with  Spain, 
his  aid  was  to  be  rather  privately  given.  What  Henry 
IV  had  in  view  was  really  to  prevent  James  from 
making  any  treaty  with  Spain  and  to  keep  the  Neth- 
erlanders  from  being  overpowered  ;  lest  cither  of  these 
events  should  increase  Spanish  power  in  P^urope,  which 
seemed  to  him  quite  too  great  already. 


CHAPTER     XXV. 

THE    SIEGE    OF    OSTEND,  CONTINUED. 

ONE  day  iu  April,  1603,  a  terrific  gale  put  a  stop 
to  the  fighting  at  Osteud  for  some  hours.  The 
sea  deluged  the  ramparts,  the  wind  tore  off  the  roofs 
and  chimneys,  and  the  tower  of  the  church  came 
crashing  down  into  the  public  square.  Besiegers  and 
besieged,  alike  helpless,  were  driven  into  such  slielters 
as  they  could  find.  Toward  evening,  when  the  wind 
abated  and  the  garrison  ventured  again  to  their  storm- 
shattered  ramparts,  there  seemed  a  suspicious  stir  in 
the  hostile  camp,  and  the  sentinels  sounded  an  alarm. 
It  was  not  a  moment  too  soon.  All  at  once  there  rose 
a  great  blaze  in  the  Porcupine  fort  near  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  city.  With  their  missiles  the  Spaniards 
had  set  on  fire  a  great  pile  of  wickerwork  and  build- 
ing material,  and  now  they  were  rushing  on  with  loud 
shouts.  There  was  a  general  rally  of  the  garrison  to 
the  scene  of  danger  ;  the  governor  himself  was  on  the 
spot.  The  assault  was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss  on 
the  part  of  the  Spaniards,  the  flames  were  extin- 
guished, and  the  danger  was  supposed  to  be  over. 
But  all  this  was  only  a  trick  of  the  enemy  to  divert 

277 


278  THE  DAYS   OF  FBINCE  MAURICE. 

attention  from  the  real  point  of  attack  —  the  external 
works  to  the  southward.  While  the  besieged  were 
straining  every  nerve  to  save  the  Porcupine,  a  swarm 
of  invaders  were  nimbly  climbing  on  rope  ladders  up 
the  walls  of  the  South  Square,  the  "West  Square,  and 
the  Polder.  There  was  a  fierce  struggle  to  retake 
them  which  lasted  all  that  night.  At  least  fifteen 
hundred  men  perished,  but  all  in  vain.  The  forts 
were  lost.  In  the  morning  the  Spaniards  coolly  butch- 
ered all  the  wounded  and  prisoners,  and  turned  the 
captured  batteries  upon  the  town. 

It  was  a  great  loss  ;  but  the  besiegers  had  by  no 
means  taken  the  city  yet,  and  the  fighting  went  on 
much  as  before.  When  the  second  anniversary  of  the 
beginning  of  the  siege  arrived — July  5,  1603  — 
Ostend  kept  it  as  a  day  of  solemn  thanksgiving  for 
having  been  enabled  to  hold  out  during  two  full  years. 

It  was  during  this  summer  that  the  Spanish  cabinet 
discovered  the  man  who  could  take  Ostend.  At  least 
they  thought  so,  and  almost  without  saying  "  By  your 
leave  "  to  the  archdukes,  they  made  him  field  marshal 
and  commander-in-chief.  All  Europe  was  amazed  at 
the  news,  for  this  new  leader,  the  Marquis  Ambrose 
Spinola,  had  never  distinguished  himself  in  any  way. 
He  was  young,  wealthy,  and  highborn  ;  his  younger 
brother,  Frederic  Spinola,  had  within  a  few  months 
been  doing  much  damage  to  the  merchant  vessels  of 


THE   SIEGE   OF   OSTEND.  279 

the  Netherlanders  by  means  of  a  number  of  galleys 
which  he  commanded,  coming  forth  from  time  to  time 
out  of  the  port  of  Sluys.  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  May, 
during  a  desperate  engagement  with  the  Dutch  admiral 
in  command  of  the  blockading  squadron,  the  daring 
Frederic  lost  his  life.  Ambrose  Spinola  had  looked 
on  during  a  campaign  or  two  in  the  Low  Countries, 
like  many  other  nobles  from  various  parts  of  Europe  ; 
but  he  had  never  been  an  officer  in  any  army.  Yet 
strangely  enough  there  was  an  indefinable  something 
about  the  man  which  made  people  think  he  was  the 
hero  who  would  subdue  Ostend. 

So  this  elegant  and  fascinating  young  Italian  was 
set  over  all  the  old  warriors  and  generals  in  the 
Spanish  army,  though  many  of  them  had  won  laurels 
before  he  was  born.  They  were  naturally  indignant. 
Their  enemies  were  amused  as  well  as  surprised  ;  and 
the  more,  when  it  came  out  that  Spinola  was  not  only 
going  to  conduct  the  siege  to  a  happy  termination,  but 
also  to  furnish  the  money  largely  from  his  own  coffers 
and  from  those  of  the  great  bankers  of  Genoa.  This 
was  indeed  a  consideration  of  weight,  for  the  treasury 
of  the  archdukes  was  running  low. 

In  fact,  there  was  in  the  face  and  bearing  of  the 
new  commander  that  which  profoundly  impressed 
those  who  met  him.  The  archdukes  accepted  his 
services  with  cordial  satisfaction.     Early  in  October, 


280  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINGE  MAUBICE. 

1603,  the  3'oung  general  made  his  first  inspection  of 
the  works  surrounding  the  city.  After  examining  the 
situation  thoroughly,  he  decided  that  there  was  no  use 
in  trying  to  do  anything  on  the  eastern  side,  where 
Bucquoy  had  so  long  been  laboring  to  shut  up  the 
new  harbor.  The  water  there  was  always  so  deep, 
the  tides  and  storms  so  irresistible,  that  their  floating 
batteries  and  bridges  were  swept  away  as  fast  as 
Bucquoy  and  Targone  could  build  them.  So  it  was 
determined  to  concentrate  their  efforts  upon  the 
western  side. 

Notwithstanding  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  officers 
at  the  outset,  they  soon  saw  that  Spinola  knew  what 
he  was  about,  and  could  endure  hardships  and  brave 
dangers  as  heroically  as  any  of  them.  He  was  not 
long  in  winning  their  confidence  and  admiration. 
Winter  with  its  storms  and  floods  was  too  near  to 
allow  of  any  great  undertaking  just  then  ;  but  there 
was  incessant  mining  and  countermining  while  the 
dreary  months  wore  away.  In  February  and  March 
there  were  terrible  westerly  storms,  the  like  of  which 
had  not  been  known  for  years ;  these  damaged  the 
defenses  so  much  that  had  the  besiegers  found  it 
out  they  might  have  taken  the  town.  But  Peter  van 
Gieselles,  the  vigilant  commander  who  had  been  in 
charge  since  New  Year's,  was  prompt  in  repairing 
them,  keeping  the  enemy  busy  meanwhile  with  fre- 


THE  SIEGE   OF   08TEND.  281 

quent  feigned  movements.  But  on  March  12,  1604, 
Spinola  succeeded  in  storming  the  lesser  Polder  Bul- 
wark. Most  of  its  brave  defenders  lay  dead  within 
the  little  fort,  though  a  few  escaped  to  the  next. 
On  the  twenty-first  of  March  the  brave  governor 
was  himself  picked  off  by  a  sharpshooter  as  he 
was  reconnoiteriug  from  the  ramparts.  His  pro- 
visional successor,  Colonel  John  van  Loon,  was 
mortally  wounded  within  four  days,  and  died  on 
the  fifth. 

Then  followed  Sergeant-major  de  Bievry.  Mean- 
while, on  the  second  of  April,  the  Spaniards  carried 
the  Polder  Ravelin,  after  a  terrible  fight  with  great 
loss  on  both  sides.  Spinola  was  evidently  making 
progress.  Then  the  acting  commandant  was  severely 
wounded  in  a  sortie,  and  had  to  be  carried  to  Zealand 
to  be  taken  care  of. 

A  Flemish  nobleman,  the  baron  of  Berendrecht, 
now  took  the  command ;  he  was  an  experienced 
officer,  at  once  bold  and  watchful.  But  on  the  eight- 
eenth  of  April  the  enetny  captured  the  great  Western 
Ravelin,  so  that  now  they  were  nearly  up  with  the 
work  called  the  Porcupine,  having  worked  along 
almost  the  whole  length  of  the  counterscarp  on  that 
side  of  the  town.  The  resolute  Berendrecht  consid- 
ered it  time  to  build  a  new  counterscarp,  since  the 
present    could    not    much    longer    be    held.     Prince 


282  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  3IAUBICE. 

Maurice  had  foreseen  this,  and  sent  a  noted  English 
engineer  named  Ralpli  Dexter,  with  able  assistants, 
to  lay  it  out  and  build  it.  Drawing  the  lines  with 
neatness  and  precision,  they  proceeded  to  cut  off 
about  half  the  space  inclosed  within  the  walls,  and  to 
build  the  new  bastions  and  redoubts,  calling  each  by 
the  name  of  the  one  to  which  it  corresponded.  Whole 
streets  had  to  be  demolished,  and  the  crowded  houses 
that  remained  were  crowded  still  fuller,  in  order  to 
shelter  the  inhabitants.  The  men  who  were  digging 
or  building  must  be  ready  at  any  moment  to  rush  to 
the  defense  of  the  walls.  As  the  work  required  sev- 
eral weeks,  common  laborers  were  sent,  in  order  some- 
what to  relieve  the  soldiers. 

Before  the  middle  of  May  the  besiegers  had  posses- 
sion of  one  corner  of  the  Porcupine,  and  a  mine  was 
in  progress  beneath  it,  so  that  it  was  finally  carried 
May  29.  On  the  same  day,  however,  the  Spaniards 
were  disastrously  repulsed  in  trying  to  storm  the  great 
Polder;  the  losses  would  have  been  about  the  same 
on  both  sides,  had  not  the  batteries  of  the  Porcupine 
been  now  turned  upon  the  town.  Three  or  four  days 
after,  the  besiegers  sprung  the  mine  they  had  long 
been  preparing  under  the  great  Polder  Bulwark,  mak- 
ing an  enormous  breach.  They  rushed  in,  expecting 
to  carry  the  town  at  once  ;  but  to  their  astonishment 
and  dismay  they  beheld   new    fortifications    bristling 


THE   SIEGE   OF   OS  TEND.  283 

behind  the  old,  and  found  a  flanking  battei'y  playing 
directly  upon  them.     Ostend  was  not  yet  theirs. 

Four  days  later  the  brave  Berendrccht  fell,  mortally 
wounded,  as  he  was  i-eturniug  from  a  reconnoissance. 
This  was  the  fourth  governor  of  the  city  who  had 
fallen  at  his  perilous  post  within  less  than  four 
mouths.  Colonel  Uyteulioove,  a  rough,  hard-fighting 
Dutchman,  took  his  place  ;  and  it  was  now  resolved 
to  be  ready  with  still  another  retreat,  should  the  new 
works  be  carried.  So  a  corner  of  what  remained, 
close  to  the  new  harbor,  was  set  off  to  be  fortified. 
They  named  it  Little  Troy.  Exact  drawings  of  its 
miniature  fortifications  that  were  to  be  were  sent  to 
Prince  Maurice.  But  there  was  nothing  solid  left  with 
which  to  build  —  no  stone  or  brick,  no  timbers  or  even 
earth.  They  were  actually  forced  to  use  whatever  the 
cemeteries  contained,  piling  into  the  bulwarks  of  Little 
Troy  disinterred  bodies  of  the  soldiers,  so  many 
of  whom  had  fallen  in  these  three  years.  Later, 
shiploads  of  materials  began  to  arrive  daily  from 
Zealand. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  .June  Governor  Uytenhoove 
fell  while  leading  his  troops  to  repel  an  assault,  and 
was  thought  to  be  dead.  He  was  rescued,  however, 
though  too  severely  wounded  to  remain  in  charge  of 
the  town,  which  was  now  committed  to  the  brave 
Marquette,   distinguished  at  the   battle   of    Nieuport. 


284  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

It  hardly  looked  like  a  town  at  all  now.  But  the 
States  were  resolved  to  hold  on,  and  the  garrison  and 
citizens  were  still  cheerful  and  brave.  It  was  some- 
thing to  keep  Spinola  and  the  army  busy  at  Ostend, 
if  only  that  they  might  not  relieve  Slu3's  which  Prince 
Maurice  was  at  this  time  besieging,  and  which  as  a 
seaport  was  worth  a  good  deal  more  than  Ostend  had 
ever  been. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

SLUYS    TAKEN    AND    OSTEND    LOST. 

SLUYS  had  now  been  held  by  the  Spaniards  for 
seventeen  years.  Alexander  of  Parma  had 
taken  it  in  1587,  as  one  of  the  preliminaries  to  the 
part  which  had  been  assigned  him  in  connection  with 
the  invincible  Armada.  And  though  he  had  his  labor 
for  his  pains,  so  far  as  that  enterprise  was  concerned, 
—  the  Zealand  fleet  having  kept  him  from  stirring  out 
of  the  harbor  with  his  transports,  —  Sluys  had  been  a 
valuable  acquisition  to  Spain.  The  Netherlanders  had 
never  ceased  to  regret  its  loss. 

In  the  spring  of  1604  the  States-General  were  again 
urging  Prince  Maurice  to  invade  Flanders  in  order 
to  relieve  Ostend.  Just  to  threaten  Sluys  might  di- 
vert part  of  the  besieging  army.  Maurice  preferred, 
if  any  demonstration  was  to  be  made,  to  besiege  Sluys 
in  earnest.  Accordingly,  about  the  middle  of  April 
he  mustered  at  Willemstadt  an  army  of  fifteen  thou- 
sand foot  and  three  thousand  horse  ;  and,  as  when  he 
invaded  Flanders  four  years  before,  he  insisted  that 
several  members  of  the  States-General  should  attend 
the  expedition.     His  young  brother  Frederic   Henry, 

285 


286 


THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 


and  his  cousins  Lewis  William,  Lewis  Gimther,  and 
Ernest  Casimir  accompanied  him,  as  well  as  other 
nobles. 

Crossing  the  western  branch  of  the  Scheldt  in  mul- 
titudinous vessels  of  all  sorts,  he  landed  his  army  on 
the  island  of  Cadzand,  April  25,  and  got  possession 
of  it  all  in  the  course    of  two   days.     He    was   busy 


5lECEff  i^LUYS  m  160f  x\ 


NORTH 


iSENOyKE 


Aaroenburc 


with  the  needful  arrangements  for  making  Cadzand 
his  basis  of  operations,  when  he  learned  that  Spiuola 
had  sent  forces  to  hold  the  passage  across  the  Swint, 
the  great  channel  by  which  Slu3's  had  communication 
with  the  sea.  Had  he  approached  the  city  immedi- 
ately on  his  arrival,  he  might  possibly  have  taken  it 
by  surprise ;  but  it  was  his  habit  to  make  everything 


8LUYS   TAKEN  AND  OSTEND   LOST.        287 

secure  before  beginniug  a  siege.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  Slug's  lay  in  the  midst  of  a  watery  maze 
formed  by  many  little  fresh-water  streams  and  several 
salt-water  channels,  interlacing  endlessly  among  the 
quagmires  and  the  rare  bits  of  solid  ground.  Its 
excellent  fortifications,  its  spacious  streets  and  squares, 
and  its  great  harbor  made  it  a  most  desirable  seaport. 
While  Prince  Maurice  was  considering  what  was 
now  his  best  course,  there  came  to  his  camp  a  Flemish 
peasant,  offering  to  show  him  a  roundabout  way  on 
the  east  and  south  of  the  city  where  there  were  fords 
by  which  his  troops  could  cross.  So  on  the  next  day, 
guided  by  the  friendly  countryman,  he  proceeded 
toward  Oostburg.  On  the  morning  of  April  29  a 
small  force  of  the  enemy's  infantr}^  and  cavalry  were 
discovered  ;  they  were  easily  routed  and  pursued  to 
the  fort  of  Coxie,  which  was  built  upon  a  dike  some 
distance  east  of  the  city.  After  capturing  it,  which 
was  soon  done,  Maurice  went  forward  as  fast  as  the 
dangerous  nature  of  the  ground  would  permit,  till  his 
troops  were  confronted  by  the  strong  redoubt  of  Saint 
Catharine.  After  obtaining  fieldpieces  from  Cadzaud 
which  the  high  water  delayed  for  several  hours,  he 
ordered  a  cannonade,  having  given  notice  that  the 
guerrillas  who  chiefly  composed  the  garrison  would 
receive  no  quarter.  In  response  to  this  announcement 
a  daring  volunteer  ensign  sprang  upon  the  ramparts 


288  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

and  audaciously  waved  his  banner  in  the  face  of  the 
besiegers  as  he  danced  about.  As  there  was  no  firm 
footing  for  either  artillery  or  cavalry,  Maurice  was 
forced  to  order  the  guns  taken  back  to  Cadzand,  leav- 
ing the  fort  until  he  could  besiege  it  in  a  formal  and 
deliberate  manner. 

But  an  odd  accident  almost  immediately  placed  the 
fort  in  his  hands.  The  garrison,  hearing  in  the  dis- 
tance the  shouts  and  uproar  which  the  retreating 
cannoneers  made  while  they  were  trying  to  rescue  one 
of  their  guns  from  a  quagmire,  fancied  that  the  great 
Prince  Maurice  was  coming  back  with  plenty  of  artil- 
lery to  execute  his  threat.  They  were  seized  with  a 
panic,  and  under  cover  of  the  night  they  abandoned 
the  fort,  which  was  at  once  occupied  by  the  besiegers. 
Then  Maurice  went  on  and  invested  Ysendyke  (or 
Isendyke),  a  strong  position  three  leagues  east  of 
Sluys. 

While  Maurice's  back  was  thus  turned,  two  thou- 
sand troops  were  sent  down  the  channel  from  Sluys 
to  Cadzand  in  boats,  in  hopes  of  surprising  the  forces 
left  there.  Six  hundred  of  them  forced  a  landing ; 
but  a  few  companies  of  sturdy  Scots  stood  their 
ground  manfully  and  at  length  drove  the  attacking 
party  off  and  sank  some  of  their  sloops  with  all  on 
board. 

When  Ysendyke  was  summoned  to  surrender,  one 


SLUTS   TAKEN  AND   OS  TEND  LOST.       289 

of  the  garrison  shot  the  prince's  trumpeter,  in  gross 
violation  of  the  laws  of  war.  The  musketeer  who 
was  guilty  of  this  outrage  was  given  up  by  the  gar- 
rison the  next  day,  when  they  surrendered.  Aarden- 
burg,  four  miles  south  of  Sluys,  submitted  two  days 
later,  without  making  any  resistance ;  and  within  two 
weeks  the  prince  had  taken  the  remaining  posts  on 
the  southwest  of  Sluys,  though  some  of  them  were 
held  by  strong  bodies  of  troops.  He  now  had  control 
of  the  great  sea  channel  and  proceeded  to  lay  out 
his  lines,  arrange  his  camps,  and  shut  up  the  city 
completely. 

During  these  two  or  three  weeks  there  had  been  an 
attempt  to  reinforce  the  garrison,  and  fifteen  hundred 
troops  had  reached  the  town.  But  no  supplies  had 
been  received  and  now  it  was  too  late  to  get  them  in. 
The  larger  the  garrison  the  worse  off  was  the  city,  as 
provisions  were  scarce. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  May  Count  Berlaymout  set  out 
from  Dam  at  the  head  of  four  thousand  men,  convoy- 
ing a  large  amount  of  food  and  military  stores,  while 
the  garrison  of  Sluys  sent  out  a  thousand  galley  slaves 
with  five  hundred  infantry  into  the  overflowed  fields 
to  meet  them.  As  usual,  Prince  Maurice  was  on  the 
alert  and  at  Stamper's  Hook  he  met  and  routed  a  por- 
tion of  Berlaymont's  force,  capturing  two  hundred. 
In  the  pursuit  unluckily  he  took  another  path,  so  that 


290  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

Berlaymout  escaped  to  Dam,  leaving  some  of  his 
grain  wagons  behind.  Those  who  had  waded  out 
from  the  city  to  assist  the  expected  convoy  made  the 
best  of  their  way  back,  but  many  of  the  galley  slaves 
contrived  to  hide  themselves  and  afterward  went  over 
to  Maurice's  side. 

It  had  been  the  prince's  intention  to  press  the  siege 
by  means  of  various  floating  contrivances,  but  he  was 
now  so  sure  of  the  result  that  he  could  patiently  wait 
till  famine  compelled  a  surrender.  The  distress  within 
the  town  became  extreme.  As  at  Harlem  and  Leyden 
twenty  years  before,  the  besieged  ate  dogs,  cats,  rats, 
old  boots  and  shoes,  weeds  from  the  graveyards,  and 
finally  even  human  flesh.  All  the  while  they  were 
imploring  help  from  the  army  at  Ostend  by  beacons 
and  signals  of  distress.  June  passed  slowly  away 
and  then  July,  but  no  help  came.  Ostend  was  only 
fifteen  miles  distant,  but  it  might  as  well  have  been 
a  thousand. 

At  last  the  archdukes  became  sensible  that  unless 
they  were  willing  to  lose  Sluys  they  must  do  some- 
thing to  save  it,  but  of  course  without  raising  the 
siege  of  Ostend.  There  was  no  other  way  than  to 
make  a  treaty  with  the  mutineers  at  G-rave ;  they  were 
forced  to  grant  all  which  they  had  before  refused,  and 
to  give  the  city  of  Roerraond  as  security  besides  three 
distinguished  hostages.     Early  in  August  the  Marquis 


SLUYS   TAKEX  AND   OSTEXD  LOST.       29i 

Spinola  reluctantly  left  his  siege  in  the  charge  of 
Bucquoy  and  Rivas  for  a  little  and  marched  with  a 
large  force  toward  Sluys.  On  the  ninth  of  August  he 
made  a  violent  attack  on  Count  Lewis  William's  camp, 
west  of  the  city  ;  but  the  count  was  equal  to  the  occa- 
sion and  Spinola  had  to  withdraw  with  loss.  A  week 
later  he  suddenly'  moved  around  to  the  south  of  Sluys, 
seized  the  forts  of  Saint  Catharine  and  Saint  Philip, 
which  were  feebly  garrisoned,  and  tried  desperately 
to  break  the  lines  at  Oostburg  and  thus  make  his  way 
into  Cadzand.  At  length  he  succeeded  in  crossing 
the  waters  and  Maurice  mustered  his  forces  at  Cad- 
zand to  meet  him,  for  it  was  a  vital  position.  The 
next  day  Count  Lewis  "William  while  leading  the 
advance  guard  of  the  States'  army  met  Spinola  with 
a  larger  force  between  two  redoubts  on  Cadzand  dike. 
The  fight  was  desperate  and  Lewis  William  was  in 
the  thickest  of  it  when  Colonel  van  Dorp  came  to  his 
rescue,  dealing  terrible  blows  right  and  left  with  the 
great  broadsword  which  he  wielded  with  both  hands. 
And  then  Maurice  himself  arrived  with  a  Frisian 
regiment,  so  that  Spinola  had  to  fall  back,  leaving 
several  hundred  dead.  He  had  fought  bravely,  but 
Lewis  William  and  Maurice  were  too  much  for  him. 
That  was  the  end  of  his  attempt  to  relieve  the  city. 
He  withdrew  to  Dam  and  from  thence  returned  to 
Ostend. 


292  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

It  was  all  over  with  Sluys.  The  next  day,  August 
18,  the  town  surrendered  after  a  siege  of  three 
months.  It  might  have  held  out  for  a  long  time  but 
for  the  lack  of  supplies,  and  it  might  have  been  well 
provisioned  beforehand  had  not  the  archdukes  been 
altogether  absorbed  in  besieging  Ostend. 

The  prince  gave  favorable  terms  and  on  the  twen- 
tieth of  August  the  garrison,  numbering  nearly  four 
thousand,  marched  out  with  the  honors  of  war.  It 
was  a  ghastly  procession.  The  pale  and  emaciated 
forms  seemed  hardly  to  belong  to  living  men.  It  is 
related  by  one  writer  of  the  period  that  not  a  few  fell 
dead  while  they  were  going  forth  from  the  famine- 
conquered  town.  Its  pestilential  air  proved  fatal  to 
one  of  the  brave  Nassaus.  Count  Lewis  Gunther,  who 
had  led  his  cavalry  so  daringly  in  the  battle  of  Nieu- 
port,  was  attacked  with  a  fever  of  which  he  soon  died. 
Others  were  ill  from  the  same  cause,  including  the 
prince  himself.^ 

On  the  twenty-second  of  August  a  violent  north- 
east wind  and  a  high  sea  did  great  damage  to  the 
remaining  defenses  of  Ostend.  This  made  the  situa- 
tion still  more  discouraging  for  its  gallant  defenders. 
The  Sand-Hill,  which  was  become  a  dense  heap  of 
cannonballs,  had  at  length  been  carried  by  the  enemy, 
and  the  walls  of  their  final  retreat,  Little  Troy,  were 

» Les  Laiiriers  de  Nassau,  fol.  267. 


SLUYS    TAKEN  AND   OSTEND  LOST.        293 

not  firm  enough  to  endure  long  cannonading.  Since 
they  had  now  a  much  better  seaport  in  Slujs,  the 
States-General  and  the  prince  resolved  not  to  pro- 
long the  struggle,  and  Marquette  was  instructed  to 
capitulate.  Meanwhile  he  sent  off  by  sea  not  only 
guns,  ammunition,  and  surplus  provisions,  but  like- 
wise such  persons  as  could  now  be  spared,  including 
the  engineers,  artillerymen,  and  others.  By  Septem- 
ber 20  the  terms  were  settled  ;  they  were  honorable 
and  not  in  any  respect  severe.  On  the  22d  Marquis 
Spinola  entertained  Governor  Marquette  with  his 
officers  at  a  grand  banquet.  The  garrison  departed 
by  land,  according  to  the  terms  arranged,  having 
remained  in  Little  Troy  two  days  after  the  signing 
of  the  accord.  They  passed  the  Gullet  by  means  of 
pontoons  and  boats.  The  French  troops  led  the  van, 
the  Netherlanders  formed  the  center,  and  the  English 
and  Scotch  brought  up  the  rear.  In  all  they  num- 
bered more  than  three  thousand,  well-equipped  and 
in  good  health.  They  retained  with  them  four  guns, 
but  most  of  their  artillery  had  been  sent  away  by 
ship.  The  next  day  they  arrived  at  the  camp  of 
Prince  Maurice,  and  his  highness  in  person  welcomed 
them,  standing  with  uncovered  head  while  he  took 
them  by  the  hand  and  warmly  thanked  them  for  their 
faithful  service  to  their  country.  Promotions  and 
other  rewards  were  liberally  bestowed. 


294  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

The  citizens  of  Osteud  liasteued  to  quit  the  ruined 
town  and  most  of  them  settled  in  Sluys. 

"  Thus  ended  this  celebrated  siege  of  Ostend,  after 
having  lasted  three  years  and  eighty  days ;  a  siege 
which  will  be  talked  of  as  long  as  the  world  shall 
stand,  and  which  will  seem  incredible  to  those  who 
shall  read  the  account  of  it." '  So  says  the  author 
of  a  narrative  published  only  eight  years  after  Os- 
tend fell.  He  says  it  "  was  called  the  Academy 
and  University  of  Military  Chieftains  —  so  many  gov- 
ernors, officers,  engineers,  surgeons,  and  the  like, 
who  had  been  only  a  few  months  in  that  school 
became  masters."  The  lives  sacrificed  and  the  money 
sunk  there  can  never  be  counted.  A  memorandum, 
said  to  have  been  found  on  the  dead  body  of  one  of 
Spinola's  officers  before  Sluys,  made  the  number  of 
officers  and  men  in  the  archduke's  army  who  had 
perished  at  Ostend  76,961.  This  was  only  to  July, 
1604,  and  did  not  include  those  sent  away  to  hospitals. 
The  losses  of  the  besieged  have  been  reckoned  at 
50,000  men ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  be  exact.  The 
cost  to  the  States  is  given  at  four  million  guilders, 
and  the  besiegers  must  have  expended  far  more. 

Though  it  seems  a  prodigious  waste  of  money  and 
of  human  lives,  it  had  some  important  results.  The 
long  siege  had  so  absorbed  the  attention  and  the 
1  Les  Liiuriers  de  Nassau,  fol.  241. 


SLUYS   TAKEN  AND   OS  TEND  LOST.       295 

resources  of  the  archdukes  that  they  could  do  little 
else.  Prince  Maurice  was  able  to  go  on  almost 
unchecked  in  his  campaigns  till  he  captured  Sluys. 
Before  the  long-festering  thorn  of  Ostend  was  re- 
moved from  the  paw  of  the  Belgic  Hon  it  was  pierced 
by  another  and  a  sharper  one.  As.  Markham  has 
observed,  though  the  States-General  seem  to  have 
been  mainly  influenced  by  their  desire  to  keep  the 
Flemish  port,  "  the  result  of  their  policy  was  to  bring 
to  a  close  the  most  memorable  struggle  in  modern  his- 
tory. The  siege  of  Ostend  led  directly  to  the  twelve 
years'  truce." 

The  archdukes  as  soon  as  possible  came  to  survey 
the  captured  town.  They  found  hardly  more  than  a 
heap  of  stones  and  sand,  thickly  strewn  with  cannon- 
balls  and  bones  of  the  slain.  It  is  said  that  Isabella, 
ardent  as  she  had  been  in  the  siege,  wept  at  the 
sight.  Steps  were  at  once  taken  for  the  rebuilding 
and  fortifying  of  the  city,  but  it  was  not  easy  to  find 
people  who  were  willing  to  live  there. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

spinola's  invasion  of  the  provinces. 

ABOUT  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Shiys  a  treaty 
was  arranged  between  King  James  aud  the 
archdukes  —  much  to  the  disappointmeut  aud  disgust 
of  the  Netherlauders.  The  archdukes  had  introduced 
the  matter  the  preceding  year,  aud  now  sent  ambas- 
sadors to  London  to  conduct  the  negotiations.  The 
States'  deputies  did  their  utmost  to  prevent  the  con- 
clusion of  this  treaty,  and  they  were  strongly  sup- 
ported by  the  French  ambassador  at  the  English 
court.  Many  of  James'  own  subjects  also  opposed 
making  peace  with  the  archdukes,  considering  it  far 
more  essential  to  preserve  friendly  relations  with  the 
Dutch  and  to  keep  them  from  being  overpowered. 
But  James  had  no  taste  for  fighting,  especially  none 
for  fighting  in  behalf  of  tlie  Dutch,  whom  he  disliked. 
Besides,  he  had  doubtless  observed  that  the  English- 
men who  had  served  in  the  Low  Countries  brought 
home  high  notions  about  popular  rights  and  civil 
liberty  ;  and  though  not  a  very  shrewd  or  far-seeing 
monarch,  he  instinctively  felt  that  these  ideas  would 
be  apt  to  make  trouble  some  day  or  other. 

296 


SPINOLxVS  INVASION.  297 

The  terms  of  the  treaty  with  the  archdukes  were 
settled  thus  :  —  Neither  party  was  to  help  the  enemies 
or  rebels  of  the  other  in  any  way  ;  the  king  promised 
that  no  English  vessel  should  convey  the  merchandise 
of  Holland  into  Spain,  nor  that  of  Spain  into  Holland  ; 
as  to  Brill  and  Flushing,  James  would  continue  to 
hold  them  for  the  present,  but  their  garrisons  should 
take  no  part  in  the  war ;  however,  if  the  States, 
after  being  duly  warned,  should  fail  to  make  peace 
with  the  archdukes  within  a  reasonable  time,  he  should 
consider  himself  absolved  from  Elizabeth's  promise 
to  restore  those  towns  to  the  States,  and  none  other. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  year  the  results  of  this 
treaty  were  illustrated.  It  happened  that  a  fleet  of 
ten  Spanish  vessels  bringing  troops  was  attacked  in 
the  English  Channel  by  Admiral  Haultain.  The  fleet 
took  refuge  in  the  harbor  of  Dover.  The  admiral 
followed,  and  there  was  a  fight,  during  which,  strange 
to  tell,  the  guns  of  Dover  Castle  were  turned  upon 
the  Dutch,  and  more  than  a  hundred  of  them  were 
killed  by  their  old  allies.  James  declared  that  the 
neutrality  of  English  shores  was  violated  by  the 
Dutch  coming  into  the  harbor.  Yet  this  was  no 
more  than  the  Dunkirk  pirates  were  allowed  to  do 
when  they  pursued  merchant  vessels  of  Holland  and 
Zealand.  Admiral  Haultain  was  not  inclined  to  show 
any  mercy  to  the  Spanish  prisoners  taken ;  nor  were 


298  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

those  who  had  escaped  to  English  shores  permitted 
to  pass  through  the  United  Provinces  on  their  way 
to  Flanders. 

The  Marquis  Spinola  now  became  the  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  archduke's  army ;  and  his  vigorous 
administration  of  affairs  wonderfully  reformed  many 
of  its  ancient  abuses.  While  he  was  very  strict  in 
discipline,  he  was  punctual  in  payment  and  liberal  in 
rewards.  Since  his  appointment  was  received  from 
the  king  of  Spain  himself,  it  looked  as  if  the  ceding 
of  the  Low  Countries  to  Isabella  and  her  husband  had 
been  only  a  pretense. 

When  Spinola  returned  the  next  year  from  Spain  to 
Brussels,  he  brought  a  large  amount  of  money  and 
fresh  troops,  so  that  he  had  now  a  larger  army  than 
had  ever  before  been  in  service  there.  Maurice's 
forces  were  inferior  in  numbers,  but  by  the  celerity 
and  adroitness  of  his  movements  he  was  generally 
able  to  keep  Spinola  in  check.  For  some  time  the 
two  armies  were  watching  each  other  in  the  vicinity  of 
Sluys,  but  as  the  prince  had  laid  much  of  the  region 
under  water,  Spinola  suddenly  moved  northward, 
about  the  first  of  August,  1605,  intending  to  invade 
Friesland  and  Groningen.  No  sooner  was  this  ascer- 
tained than  Maurice  broke  up  his  camp  and  followed. 
Spinola  succeeded  in  capturing  Oldeuzaal  and  Lingen, 
the  latter  having  no  garrison  worth  mentioning,  before 


SPIN  OLA'S  INVASION.  299 

Maurice  could  overtake  him.  But  strangely  enough, 
the  brilliant  young  genei'al  paused  at  Lingen  for 
nearly  a  mouth,  instead  of  pressing  on  to  Coewarden, 
and  thence  into  Friesland,  as  he  could  easily  have 
done.  Then  leaving  twenty-five  hundred  troops  in 
Lingen,  on  the  fourteenth  of  September  he  turned 
back  toward  the  Rhine.  Maurice,  who  had  now  been 
reinforced  by  his  cousin,  gladly  hastened  to  Coe- 
warden, and  after  making  all  secure  in  that  quarter 
resumed  his  watch  of  the  movements  of  Spinola,  who 
was  now  at  the  point  where  the  Ruhr  empties  into  the 
Rhine. 

Here  the  two  armies  remained  for  a  fortnight,  each 
waiting  to  see  what  the  other  was  going  to  do. 
Maurice  discovered  that  at  Miilheira,  a  village  on  the 
Ruhr,  there  was  a  body  of  Italian  cavalry,  somewhat 
apart  from  the  main  army ;  he  resolved  to  surprise 
them  and  thus  bring  on  a  general  engagement.  The 
movement  was  well  planned,  but  it  was  not  successful, 
owing  to  the  failure  of  one  division  of  the  cavalry 
to  arrive  in  time.  The  enemy's  cavalry  had  news 
of  its  approach  and  was  drawn  up  in  battle  array 
beforehand.  So  those  who  planned  to  surprise  were 
themselves  thrown  into  an  unaccountable  panic,  and 
disgracefully  fled.  Maurice,  coming  up  witli  the 
infantry,  was  almost  beside  himself  with  wrath  at 
such  a  sight;  he  did  his  utmost   to  rally  his  forces, 


300  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

and  some  did  make  a  stand  for  a  few  moments.  But 
the  drums  and  trumpets  of  Spinola's  approaching 
troops  revived  the  strange  panic,  and  the  day  was 
lost.  Young  Frederic  Henry,  made  conspicuous  by 
his  orange  plumes  and  scarf,  fought  with  splendid 
daring,  and  was  in  the  greatest  peril.  Maurice  was 
able  to  turn  the  rout  into  an  orderly  retreat ;  but  five 
hundred  of  his  best  cavalry  perished,  and  his  banner 
was  disgraced.  The  enemy  lost  at  least  three  hun- 
dred, with  the  gallant  leader.  Count  Trivulzio ;  but 
they  claimed  the  victory. 

Within  three  or  four  weeks  Spinola  took  two  other 
posts  by  siege.  The  troops  of  Maurice  were  so 
reduced  by  illness  and  losses  that  he  was  compelled 
to  remain  inactive.  This  was  an  unprecedented 
experience  under  his  leadership  ;  and  there  was  much 
complaint  on  the  part  of  the  States-General.  But 
Spinola  did  not  turn  his  successes  to  much  account, 
and  hardly  deserved  all  the  praise  he  received  at  the 
Spanish  court. 

In  the  meantime  matters  in  the  East  Indies  were 
going  on  favorably  for  the  Dutch.  The  third  fleet 
of  their  East  India  Company  was  now  busy  there. 
Amboyna  and  the  much-coveted  Moluccas,  where 
alone  grew  the  cloves  which  were  so  precious  in  that 
day,  had  come  into  their  hands.  Wealth  was  flowing 
in  upon  them ;  but  at  the  same  time  the  ill   feeling 


SPINOLA'S  INVASION.  301 

between  their  former  friends,  the  English,  and  them- 
selves was  growing  more  and  more  apparent.  P'iach 
of  the  great  companies  wanted  all  the  India  trade  for 
itself,  while  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese  maintained 
that  all  that  part  of  the  world  was  given  to  themselves 
by  the  pope  a  long  time  ago. 

Spinola  did  not  find  funds  for  the  war  so  abundant 
in  Spain  as  he  could  have  wished.  Philip  III  was  a 
mere  nonentity;  and  his  favorite,  the  duke  of  Lerma, 
found  it  easy  to  spend  on  his  pleasures  whatever 
money  was  within  reach.  Spinola  spared  neither  his 
own  purse  nor  his  credit,  to  raise  means  for  the  next 
year's  campaign.  While  returning,  he  had  a  danger- 
ous illness  in  Genoa,  and  did  not  reach  his  army  till 
June,  1606.  Meanwhile,  on  the  part  of  the  Nether- 
landers,  military  movements  had  not  been  active. 
Their  funds  were  not  plentiful ;  the  sovereigns  of  P2ng- 
land  and  France  were  cool  towards  them ;  Maurice's 
recent  ill  fortune  had  weakened  their  confidence ; 
and  there  was  ill  feeling  between  him  and  Barne- 
veld.  Moreover,  it  was  more  ditticult  than  usual  to 
enlist  soldiers,  on  account  of  difficulties  in  the  neigh- 
boring countries  from  which  many  of  them  ordinarily 
came. 

One  thing,  however,  did  remarkably  favor  the  cause 
of  the  republic.  It  rained  in  torrents  week  after 
week,  so  that  Spinola's  two  armies,  now  well  on  the 


302  ^HE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE   MAURICE. 

way  northward,  were  forced  to  stay  iu  their  camps. 
The  country  was  flooded  ;  the  roads  were  mere  quag- 
mires. After  some  time  Spinola  gave  up  invading 
Friesland,  and  made  another  plan  for  his  campaign. 
If  he  could  get  across  the  Meuse  and  Waal,  he 
thought  he  could  readily  march  into  Utrecht,  and 
thence  into  Holland  and  Zealand  —  the  very  heart  of 
the  republic. 

Maurice  instantly  saw  through  the  scheme,  and  he 
was  more  than  a  match  for  Spiuola.  As  the  rivers 
were  high,  it  was  the  easier  to  keep  the  enemy  from 
crossing.  Wherever  he  tried  it  the  troops  of  the 
republic  were  on  the  spot.  He  tried  to  turn  Maurice's 
flank,  but  was  foiled.  Early  in  August,  after  captur- 
ing a  little  town  called  Lochem,  east  of  Zutphen, 
Spiuola  laid  siege  to  Groll,  or  Groenlo,  in  the  same 
region  ;  and  in  eleven  days,  not  without  the  loss  of 
many  men,  he  reduced  the  place.  Thence  retreating 
to  the  Rhine,  he  besieged  Rheinberg.  It  was  well 
garrisoned  and  tolerably  fortified.  Frederic  Henry 
was  there,  and  likewise  some  French  noblemen  who 
were  serving  as  volunteers.  Spinola  was  almost  equal 
to  Maurice  himself  at  conducting  a  siege,  and  iu  six 
weeks  he  carried  the  town.  Maurice  could  not  go  to 
its  relief  without  the  risk  of  letting  the  enemy  slip 
into  the  province  of  Utreclit  while  his  back  was 
turned  ;  and  this   would  be  much  worse  than  to  lose 


SFINOLA'S  INVASION.  303 

Rheinberg.  But  there  was  a  great  deal  of  complaint 
about  it. 

In  October  it  appeared  that  Spinola  had  exhausted 
his  credit ;  he  could  get  no  funds,  and  so  his  troops 
mutinied.  Six  hundred  men  in  a  body  went  over  to 
the  republican  army.  And  now  Maurice  found  it 
practicable  to  make  a  few  moves.  He  readily  recov- 
ered Lochem  and  was  laying  siege  to  Groll  when 
Spinola  again  advanced  to  relieve  it.  It  was  now 
November  ;  the  prince,  who  had  been  much  delayed 
by  the  rains  and  had  not  begun  his  entrenchments, 
would  not  risk  a  general  engagement,  although  his 
troops  were  eager  to  fight.  Much  to  the  vexation  and 
disappointment  of  the  States,  as  well  as  the  army,  he 
raised  the  siege  and  closed  the  campaign. 

Though  the  prince  was  severely  censured,  abroad 
as  well  as  at  home,  he  had  reasons  of  weight.  There 
was  much  sickness  among  his  men,  the  rains  continued 
to  pour,  and  he  had  lost  confidence  in  his  cavalry  on 
account  of  their  bad  behavior  at  Miilheim.  To  lose 
the  battle  would  have  been  fatal ;  and  so  he  chose 
rather  to  endure  the  blame. 

A  memorable  deed  had  been  done  upon  the  sea 
during  the  autumn  of  this  year.  Admiral  Haultain 
was  cruising  off  Cape  Saint  Vincent  with  thirteen  war 
ships,  to  intercept  the  rich  squadrons  of  merchantmen 
returning  fi'om  the  West  Indies  ;    but  he  had  the  ill 


304  THE  DAYS   OF  PltlNCE  3IAUBICE. 

luck  to  meet  instead  a  great  fleet  of  Spanish  men-of- 
war,  vastly  superior  to  his  own  in  numbers  as  well 
as  power.  The  encounter  was  sudden,  and  it  was 
blowing  a  gale.  Eighteen  huge  galleons  were  bearing 
directly  down  full  before  the  wind  upon  the  Dutch 
fleet,  and  the  enemy  had  many  smaller  vessels  not  far 
off.  Most  of  the  Dutch  ships  were  scattered,  but  the 
vice-admiral,  Klaaszoon,  bravely  faced  the  first  gal- 
leons that  came  near,  and  there  was  a  fierce  fight  at 
close  quarters.  Admiral  Haultain  came  to  his  help 
with  five  vessels,  and  Klaaszoon  had  a  short  respite- 
But  it  was  an  unequal  contest  at  best.  It  was  nearly 
dark  and  Klaaszoon's  ship  was  already  disabled  by  the 
loss  of  its  mainmast,  when  the  galleons  attacked  him 
again.  The  rest  of  the  Dutch  vessels  bore  away  as 
fast  as  they  could  from  the  hopeless  conflict,  but  the 
gallant  vice-admiral  would  not  think  for  a  moment  of 
surrender.  For  two  days  and  nights  he  kept  his 
colors  flying  on  the  stump  of  his  mast,  and  continued 
to  send  broadsides  at  the  enemy.  At  length  the  ship 
began  to  sink  :  he  was  promised  quarter  if  he  would 
surrender.  There  were  only  sixty  of  his  men  alive. 
The  enemy  did  not  attempt  to  board,  fearing  he  would 
blow  up  the  ship,  which  indeed  he  had  resolved  to  do. 
He  called  his  men  together,  and  all  agreed  to  die 
rather  than  haul  down  their  colors.  Together  they 
knelt   upon   the  deck  and   the   commander   offered  a 


SPINOLA'S  INVASION.  305 

prayer.  Then  Klaaszoon  lighted  the  powder  maga- 
zine, and  the  awful  explosion  scattered  far  and  wide 
the  fragments  of  the  ship  and  its  gallant  crew.  Two 
sailors,  terribly  mutilated,  were  picked  up  by  the  Span- 
iards, but  lived  only  long  enough  to  tell  the  tale. 

The  wise  and  venerable  Count  John  of  Nassau,  the 
last  of  the  brothers  of  William  the  Silent,  died  during 
this  year.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the  five  who  did 
not  fall  in  battle  or  by  assassination.  Count  Hohenlo 
who  was  the  brother-in-law  of  Prince  Maurice,  also 
died,  and  had  done  many  daring  deeds  in  the  service 
of  his  country. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

HOW   THE    TWELVE    YEARS'    TRUCE    WAS    MADE. 

TT  was  at  the  opening  of  the  year  1607  that  the 
■■*-  first  step  toward  a  peace  was  actually  taken, 
though  there  had  been  more  or  less  talk  about  it  in 
certain  quarters  before  that.  The  war  had  been  going 
on  for  forty  years ;  only  the  elderly  people  could 
remember  its  beginning.  All  parties  felt  nearly 
worn  out.  The  Spaniards  did  not  see  where  money 
to  carry  it  on  was  going  to  be  found,  and  even 
the  thrifty  Dutch,  with  their  wonderful  willingness 
to  tax  themselves  to  the  uttermost,  were  perplexed. 
Besides,  their  rapidly  expanding  commerce  opened 
to  them  great  opportunities,  which  of  course  seemed 
inviting. 

But  the  "  peace  party"  of  the  young  republic  had 
no  idea  of  accepting  any  arrangement  which  would 
not  secure  their  independence,  and  not  all  the  people 
belonged  to  the  peace  party.  Many  had  no  faith  in 
the  Spaniards  and  felt  that  any  supposed  treaty  would 
prove  only  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  Besides,  should 
they  stop  lighting  for  a  time  it  would  give  the  enemy 

306 


THE    TWELVE    YEABS'    TRUCE.  307 

opportunity  to  recruit  his  exhausted  resources,  and  per- 
haps enabled  the  Obedient  Provinces  to  become  their 
rivals  in  certain  directions. 

Prince  Maurice  did  not  favor  the  idea,  for  these 
reasons  as  well  as  certain  others  of  a  personal  nature, 
lie  was  still  in  his  cradle  wdien  the  war  began,  and  he 
had  been  educated  for  a  general ;  his  fame  had  been 
won  in  militarv  life.  If  peace  should  be  made,  his 
vocation  would  be  gone  ;  he  would  lose  his  rank  and 
power  as  commander-in-chief,  as  well  as  much  of  his 
income.  He  did  not  believe  it  would  be  the  best 
thing  for  the  republic  ;  he  was  certain  it  would  not  be 
for  himself. 

Barneveld,  being  not  a  warrior  but  a  statesman, 
saw  things  in  a  different  light.  He  was  in  favor  of 
a  peace,  provided  independence  could  be  ensured  and 
all  that  independence  implied.  He  appreciated,  no 
doubt,  the  wonderful  openings  for  their  commerce 
which  lay  before  them.  If,  notwithstanding  the  heavy 
burdens  of  taxation  to  support  such  a  war,  their  mate- 
rial prosperity  had  been  so  great,  what  might  it  not 
become  during  years  of  peace? 

The  first  move  was  made  by  the  archdukes.  In 
January,  1607,  they  secretly  sent  to  The  Hague  two 
envoys,  Van  Witteuhorst  and  Gevaerts,  who  were 
to  introduce  the  subject.  They  said  that  the  arch- 
dukes, as  the  States  were  well  aware,  claimed   only 


308  THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

what  really  belonged  to  them,  and  that  they  were 
ready  to  entertain  proposals  for  either  a  peace  or  a 
truce,  whichever  might  be  preferred.  To  this  the 
States,  perceiving  that  the  archdukes  were  still  assum- 
ing that  they  owned  the  Netherlands,  did  not  make 
a  very  gracious  response  ;  they  sent  back  word  that  in 
order  to  treat  with  them,  tlie  archdukes  must  begin  by 
recognizing  their  independence. 

This  was  a  hard  thing  for  the  archdukes  to  do.  It 
would  be  equivalent  to  admitting  that  they  were  in  the 
wrong,  and  the  world  would  of  course  infer  that  they 
must  be  in  great  straits  if  they  did.  But  this  was  the 
simple  truth.  Toward  the  close  of  February,  havfng 
chosen  a  more  adroit  diplomatist,  they  sent  him  to 
The  Hague  with  letters  to  the  prince  and  Barneveld. 
It  was  John  Neyen,  a  Franciscan  monk,  born  at 
Antwerp.  He  looked  frank,  though  really  artful. 
The  interview  was  profoundly  secret.  The  monk  was 
attired  as  a  burgher.  The  letters  stated  that  the 
archdukes  consented  to  treat  with  the  States  of  the 
United  Provinces  "  in  the  quality  and  as  considering 
them  free  provinces  and  states,  over  which  they  had 
no  pretensions."  They  would  consider  the  question 
of  either  a  peace  or  a  truce  for  twelve,  fifteen,  or 
twenty  years.  They  would  appoint  ambassadors  on 
their  own  part,  and  the  States  were  desired  to  choose 
for  themselves  an  equal  number.     And   in   order   to 


THE   TWELVE   YEARS'    TRUCE.  309 

have  time  for  the  negotiations  they  proposed  an  im- 
mediate armistice  of  eight  months. 

After  Neyen's  credentials  had  been  shown  to  the 
States-General,  and  various  little  difficulties  regarding 
them  had  been  settled,  the  States  agreed  to  the  armis- 
tice so  far  as  promising  not  to  begin  any  siege  or 
build  new  fortifications  during  that  period,  provided 
the  king  of  Spain  would  likewise  ratify  the  agreement 
within  three  months,  and  make  the  same  concessions 
as  to  their  independence. 

This  took  a  long  while,  for  in  those  days  it  was  a 
journey  of  several  weeks  from  The  Hague  to  Madrid. 
Besides,  Philip  III,  like  his  father,  required  a  good 
deal  of  time  to  make  up  his  mind.  When  at  last  the 
document  arrived  it  was  far  from  satisfactory.  The 
king  proposed  to  treat  the  United  Provinces  as  inde- 
pendent only  so  long  as  the  truce  should  last.  Be- 
sides, he  had  signed  it  as  if  it  were  an  edict  to  his 
subjects,  "To  el  Rey,"  i  and  he  had  affixed  only  the 
small  seal. 

This  naturally  tended  to  confirm  the  distrust  of 
those  who  believed  the  talk  about  peace  was  only  a 
pretense.  About  the  same  time  Father  Neyen  gave 
some  magnificent  presents  to  Aerssens,  the  recorder 
of  the  States,  evidently  hoping  to  bribe  him.  There 
was  a  bill  of  exchange  for  fifty  thousand  ducats,  a 
»"I  the  King." 


310  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

superb  gold  chain,  and  a  diamond  of  great  value  for 
Madame  Aerssens.  The  recorder  handed  these  arti- 
cles over  to  the  States,  and  one  day,  in  a  full  assembly 
of  that  body,  Barneveld  returned  them  to  Verreiken, 
one  of  the  envoys  of  the  archdukes.  "Take  them 
back,"  said  he  sternly,  "  and  restore  them  to  their 
owners ;  desire  the  archdukes,  if  they  sincerely  intend 
any  treaty  of  peace,  to  forbear  all  such  attempts  for 
the  future.  Think  not  that  here,  as  in  monarchies,  we 
are  guided  by  the  will  of  two  or  three  ;  our  numbers 
render  it  impossible  to  corrupt  us,  and  should  any  one 
of  us  allow  himself  to  be  tempted,  exemplary  chastise- 
ment would  be  immediately  inflicted  on  him." 

Verreiken,  much  embarrassed,  protested  that  Neyen 
alone  was  responsible  and  that  the  archdukes  knew 
nothing  about  it ;  and  this  very  improbable  explanation 
the  States  allowed  to  pass. 

The  unsatisfactory  document  was  sent  back  to  the 
king,  with  suggestions  as  to  the  changes  necessary. 
By  the  terms  of  the  armistice,  which  began  in  May 
and  was  to  continue  eight  months,  the  king  was  to 
ratify  it  within  three  months.  But  it  was  not  till 
autumn  that  Neyen  and  Verreiken  returned  with  the 
amended  ratification.  It  was  found  to  contain  the 
admission  of  the  States'  independence,  but  with  a 
proviso  that  this  should  count  for  nothing  if  the  peace 
negotiations    failed.     The   wording  was    ambiguous, 


THE   TWELVE   YEARS'    TRUCE.  311 

and  as  before,  it  was  signed  "  Yb  el  Rey."  Tlie 
States  demurred  about  accepting  it ;  but  the  French 
and  English  ambassadors  advised  them  to  overlook 
the  deficiencies  of  the  paper.  It  was  finall}'  decided 
to  refer  the  document  to  the  separate  provinces,  to  be 
considered  by  their  respective  legislatures. 

At  length  they  agreed  that  they  would  enter  into 
negotiations,  always  insisting  upon  their  independ- 
ence, and  their  supreme  authority  over  all  their 
internal  affairs,  including  religious  matters.  By  this 
time  the  period  of  the  eight  months'  armistice  had 
almost  expii'ed,  but  it  was  prolonged  from  time  to 
time,  through  this  year  and  the  following  one. 

There  had  been  a  great  naval  victory  won  by  the 
Dutch  in  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar,  the  news  of  which 
arrived  just  after  the  beginning  of  the  armistice,  in 
May,  1607.  It  had  spread  dismay  at  the  court  of 
Spain,  and  made  it  seem  more  than  ever  indispensable 
to  put  a  stop  to  such  disasters  in  some  way  or  other. 
Admiral  Heemskirk,  the  same  who  had  previously 
been  distinguished  as  an  explorer  in  Arctic  seas  and 
a  bold  adventurer  in  the  East  Indies,  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  fleet  of  war  vessels,  sent  to  cruise  along 
the  shores  of  Spain  and  Portugal,  and  do  whatever 
might  serve  the  republic  in  the  protection  of  its  com- 
merce, or  otherwise.  Learning  that  a  great  war  fleet, 
far  more  powerful  than  his  own,  was  then  cruising  in 


312  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBIGE. 

the  Straits  of  Gibraltar  in  order  to  pounce  upon 
Dutch  merchantmen  trading  in  the  Levant,  Heemskirk 
burned  to  attack  it.  His  officers  and  men  were 
enkindled  by  his  ardor ;  they  vowed  to  follow  him  to 
the  death.  It  proved  that  the  Spanish  fleet,  which  was 
commanded  by  the  veteran  Don  Juan  Alvarez  d'Avila, 
a  hero  of  Lepanto,  was  lying  within  the  bay,  under 
the  protecting  guns  of  the  Fort  of  Gibraltar. 

When  the  Spanish  admiral  perceived  the  Dutch 
vessels  approaching,  he  could  not  at  first  believe  that 
they  could  be  intending  to  do  anything  so  ridiculous 
as  to  attack  his  great  fleet.  With  his  flagship  alone, 
the  Saint  Augustine,  he  was  sure  he  could  demolish 
the  whole  of  them.  But  before  the  sun  went  down  on 
that  April  afternoon  his  entire  fleet  was  destroyed, 
two  thousand  out  of  four  thousand  men  killed, 
including  the  admiral  himself,  and  the  Dutch  were 
triumphant.  Heemskirk  was  killed  almost  at  the 
first  fire  ;  but  when  his  death  became  known  to  his 
men  they  fought  only  the  more  furiously.  They  found 
among  the  papers  of  the  Spanish  admiral  secret 
instructions  signed  by  the  king,  directing  the  most 
inhuman  treatment  of  the  Netherlauders  who  should 
fall  into*  his  power.  Enraged  beyond  measure  at 
these  cruel  orders,  they  massacred  all  the  wounded  or 
drowning  Spaniards  on  whom  they  could  lay  hands 
as   they   strove   to   escape    from    their   disabled   and 


THE   TWELVE   YEABS'    TRUCE.  313 

burning  vessels.  "  The  barbarous  ferocity  of  the 
Duteli  on  tliis  occasion,"  says  Motley,  "  might  have 
taught  a  lesson  even  to  the  comrades  of  Alva." 

The  loss  of  the  Dutch  was  but  small  — one  hundred 
killed  and  sixty  wounded.  None  of  their  ships  were 
destroyed.  The  body  of  their  beloved  and  lamented 
Admiral  Heemskirk  was  embalmed  and  carried  home 
to  Amsterdam,  where  there  was  a  magnificent  funeral 
for  their  hero,  at  the  public  expense. 

The  winter  of  1607-1608  was  so  severe  that  the 
rivers  and  marshes  were  frozen  hard  enough  for  an  in- 
vading army  to  march  across  them  without  au}^  diffi- 
culty. Fortunately  such  a  peason  had  not  occurred 
for  several  years  ;  and  no  harm  came  of  it  now,  except 
that  it  delayed  somewhat  the  coming  of  the  ambassa- 
dors who  were  to  assemble  at  The  Hague  to  arrange 
the  terms  of  the  proposed  peace.  The  French  and 
the  English  courts  had  already  sent  envoys  to  assist 
in  these  deliberations.  And  the  States  about  this 
time  concluded  a  defensive  alliance  with  the  kins;  of 
France,  by  which  Henry  IV  engaged  to  help  them 
obtain  an  advantageous  peace,  if  possible  ;  and  if  it 
should  be  violated  by  Spain,  to  furnish  them  with  ten 
thousand  foot,  at  his  own  cost.  The  States  likewise 
promised  to  assist  him,  if  necessary.  Some  time 
later  they  succeeded  in  making  a  similar  agreement 
with  the  kino;  of  England. 


314  THE  DAYS  OF  PEINCE  MAURICE. 

On  the  last  clay  of  January,  1608,  the  stately  train 
of  ambassadors  on  the  part  of  the  archdukes  and 
Spain  arrived.  It  was  an  imposing  spectacle.  The 
Marquis  Spinola,  and  Richardot,  president  of  the 
privy  council  of  the  Spanish  Netherlands,  were  ac- 
companied by  Don  Juan  di  Mancidor,  secretary  of 
the  king  of  Spain,  together  with  Neyen  and  Ver- 
reiken ;  and  of  course  there  was  a  long  train  of 
attendants  and  courtiers.  At  Ryswick,  a  village  not 
far  from  The  Hague  on  the  road  to  Delft,  they  were 
met  by  the  prince,  who  saluted  them  with  great 
courtesy  and  cordiality  of  manner.  Spinola  was 
invited  to  sit  in  the  prince's  own  carriage,  at  his 
right  hand.  Little  as  Maurice  favored  the  peace,  he 
doubtless  enjoyed  seeing  this  great  general  and  the 
rest  of  the  dignitaries  come  to  ask  for  it. 

Whatever  was  polite  and  flattering  was  doubtless 
said  by  each  of  these  great  warriors  to  the  other  as 
they  rode  together  into  the  capital  of  tlie  United 
Provinces.  Immense  crowds  almost  blocked  the 
streets  of  The  Hague,  eager  to  gaze  upon  the  great 
personages  whose  mission  was  so  momentous.  For 
several  days  the  house  occupied  by  Marquis  Spinola 
was  thronged  with  people  who  had  a  lively  curiosity 
to  see  him ;  and  the  ambassadors  fancied  that  this 
indicated  their  anxiety  for  peace.  The  magnificent 
style  in  which  Spinola  lived  was  so  different  from  tlie 


THE   TWELVE    YEARS'    TRUCE.  315 

plain  republican  fashions  of  the  thrifty  Dutch  that  it 
provoked  much  comment,  and  it  was  not  always  in 
a  tone  of  approvaL 

At  the  request  of  the  States,  ambassadors  from 
Denmark,  the  duchy  of  Brunswick,  and  the  Palati- 
nate had  been  sent  by  their  respective  sovereigns  to 
give  assistance  by  their  counsels.  On  the  part  of  the 
republic,  in  addition  to  a  deputy  from  each  of  the 
seven  provinces  there  were  three  to  act  for  the  coun- 
try as  a  whole :  namely,  Lewis  "William  of  Nassau, 
Walrave,  lord  of  Brederode,  and  Barneveld,  in  whose 
experienced  hands  moi-e  than  in  any  other  the  man- 
agement of  the  negotiations  lay. 

The  first  article  of  the  proposed  treaty,  which  de- 
clared the  independence  and  sovereignty  of  the  repub- 
lic, was  allowed  to  pass  more  readily  than  had  been 
expected.  President  Richardot  even  remarked  rather 
bluntly  that  if  the  Provinces  liked  to  call  them- 
selves a  kingdom,  they  were  welcome  to  do  so,  for 
anght  he  cared.  Nor  was  objection  made  to  the 
usual  provision  for  a  general  amnesty,  and  the  res- 
toration of  confiscated  estates.  But  when  it  was  de- 
manded that  the  king  of  Spain  and  the  archdukes 
should  give  up  the  title  and  arms  of  the  Provinces, 
there  was  much  complaint.  It  was  urged  that  the 
king  of  England  still  bore,  without  objection,  the 
title  and  arms  of  king  of  France  ;  and  the  archdukes, 


316         THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAXJBICE. 

those  of  Burgundy,  although  they  owned  uo  dominions 
there.  But  the  republicans  urged  that  to  drop  these 
empty  titles  would  be  nothing  to  the  great  house  of 
Austria ;  while  its  continuing  to  claim  them  might 
prove  a  real  damage  to  the  little  republic  of  the  Neth- 
erlands. This  point  was  finally  conceded  ;  the  more 
readily,  doubtless,  because  there  was  certain  to  be  a 
great  struggle  over  the  next. 

There  was  of  course  to  be  free  trade  with  Spain  ; 
but  as  to  commerce  with  the  East  Indies,  the  Spanish 
ambassadors  demanded  that  it  should  cease  now  and 
forever.  The  king  of  Spain  considered  that  the  East 
Indies,  as  well  as  the  New  World,  were  his  private 
property  ;  no  other  sovereign  or  state  had  any  business 
there.  In  his  treaties  with  France  and  England  he 
had  not  given  either  of  them  permission  to  trade  with 
India  ;  why  should  he  grant  it  to  the  Netherlands  ? 

But  the  English  and  French  ambassadors  replied 
that  it  was  in  the  nature  of  the  case  free  ;  nobody 
needed  to  ask  leave.  This  was  the  ground  taken  by 
the  States.  They  had  already  done  far  more  in  the 
India  trade  than  the  Spaniards,  or  any  other  one  nation. 
At  this  time  their  commerce  with  the  East  Indies 
employed  eight  or  ten  thousand  men,  and  amounted 
annually  to  forty-three  million  of  guilders,  or  more 
than  seventeen  millions  of  dollars.  To  be  called 
independent   would  be  worth  very  little,  if  the   free 


THE    TWELVE    YEARS'    TBUCE.  317 

navigation  of  the  seas  were  forbidden.  Besides,  they 
had  engaged  to  protect  the  natives  of  the  countries 
witli  whom  they  had  established  commercial  relations, 
and  they  would  not  abandon  these  allies. 

Prince  Maurice  sustained  these  claims  —  not  so 
much  because  he  cared  for  the  commerce,  perhaps,  as 
because  he  saw  a  prospect  of  thus  getting  the  negotia- 
tions broken  off.  The  States  were  implored  to  con- 
cede at  least  a  little  ;  and  so  tliey  offered  to  let  it  be 
settled  that  they  should  continue  the  India  trade  for 
nine  years  after  the  conclusion  of  a  peace.  In  the 
course  of  that  period  some  permanent  arrangement 
could  doubtless  be  made. 

So  Friar  Neyen  once  more  went  to  Spain,  to  see 
how  the  king  would  like  this  plan,  and  Jeannin,  the 
principal  French  envoy,  went  home  on  a  similar 
errand.  As  this  required  a  good  deal  of  time,  the 
Danish  ambassadors,  tired  of  delay,  took  their  leave. 

While  waiting  thus,  the  States-General  heard  news 
from  their  representatives  at  the  French,  English,  and 
German  courts,  which  made  them  more  anxious  than 
ever  about  the  treaty-making.  The  king  of  Spain,  it 
was  reported,  had  assured  each  of  these  sovereigns 
that  he  had  no  idea  of  resigning  his  right  to  the 
United  Provinces  ;  he  had  only  admitted  their  inde- 
pendence in  order  to  be  able  to  open  negotiations. 
He  should  never  grant  peace,  unless  they  should  not 


318         THE  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

only  give  up  the  India  trade,  but  should  likewise  allow 
the  public  exercise  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion. 

Moreover,  they  learned  that  Philip  had  proposed  to 
the  king  of  France  a  double  marriage  alliance,  offering 
the  crown  prince  of  Spain  as  the  future  husband  of 
the  princess  of  France,  and  his  own  daughter  for  the 
wife  of  the  Dauphin.  To  be  sure,  he  had  also  offered 
his  daughter  to  the  English  prince  of  Wales.  And 
this  looked  as  if  these  conflicting  proposals  were  made 
just  for  political  effect,  especially  as  the  royal  children 
were  still  in  their  nurseries. 

When  Father  Neyen  returned  from  Spain,  it  was 
found  that  in  return  for  admitting  their  independence 
the  king  did  insist  upon  the  reestablishment  of  public 
worship  for  the  Catholics,  as  well  as  the  abandonment 
of  the  India  trade.  The  French  and  English  am- 
bassadors upheld  the  States  in  their  resolution  not  to 
concede  the  former.  Even  Jeannin,  who  was  himself 
a  Catholic,  declared  that  if  it  were  yielded  at  the 
dictation  of  the  enemy,  it  would  develop  a  strong 
Spanish  faction,  which  would  be  very  dangerous.  In 
itself  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  be  done,  in  due 
time,  by  the  republic  unconstrained.  But  these  am- 
bassadors advised  to  relinquish  the  India  trade  rather 
than  break  off  the  negotiations. 

It  was  more  than  surmised  that  this  last  bit  of 
counsel  was  not  altogether  disinterested.     Henry  IV 


THE    TWELVE    YE  Alt  S'    TEUCE.  319 

would  have  liked  somehow  to  secure  the  Indu\  trade 
for  himself ;  add  there  was  an  East  India  Company 
in  England,  whose  operations  were  often  more  or 
less  interfered  with  by  the  Dutch. 

The  deputies  of  the  republic  were  stedfast  on  both 
of  these  points.  They  declared  that  though  they  them- 
selves were  sincere  in  beginning  the  negotiations,  they 
were  now  convinced  that  the  archdukes  and  the  king 
of  Spain  had  never  meant  them  to  succeed. 

So  the  whole  matter  seemed  to  have  come  to  naught. 
The  Spanish  ambassadors  and  those  sent  by  the  arch- 
dukes took  leave,  and  it  looked  as  if  there  was  nothing 
else  to  be  done  but  to  renew  the  war.  The  French 
and  English  envoys  now  came  forward  with  a  proposal 
to  mediate.  They  were  aware  that  the  recent  treaties 
bound  their  sovereigns  to  assist  the  republic,  should 
the  war  be  resumed.  In  that  case  Henry  would  hardly 
be  able  to  do  all  that  he  had  promised,  while  James 
was  neither  able  nor  willing.  Jeannin,  who  was  an 
eminent  diplomatist,  had  long  been  revolving  a  plan ; 
and  he  now  ventured  to  suggest  a  tnice  of  twelve 
years,  leaving  the  foreign  commerce  open,  and  other 
things  much  as  they  now  were. 

The  States-General  looked  dubiously  at  the  scheme, 
and  the  people  were  loud  in  opposing  it.  Not  only 
did  they  talk,  but  they  wrote  against  it.  Pamphlets 
and  libels  poured  from  the  press.     The  prince  oi)posed 


320  THE  DAYS    OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

a  truce  even  more  than  a  peace  ;  and  he  publislied  a 
letter  to  the  towns  of  Holland,  strongly  dissuading 
them  from  it.  On  the  other  hand,  the  able  Jeaunin 
wrote  a  spirited  and  impressive  rejoinder  to  the  prince's 
arguments,  which  was  published  in  the  name  of  the 
ambassadors. 

Barneveld  was  chiefly  blamed  as  the  author  of  this 
plan  which  was  considered  so  objectionable,  and  in 
the  intense  excitement  of  the  public  mind  a  great  deal 
was  said  which  it  was  hard  for  him  to  bear.  One  day 
he  made  a  dignified  address  in  the  assembly  of  the 
States-General,  alluding  to  these  things,  which,  had 
they  affected  himself  alone,  he  would  have  disre- 
garded. But  since  it  was  evident  that  the  dislike 
borne  to  himself  personally  was  making  the  proposed 
truce  still  more  obnoxious,  he  begged  the  States  to 
appoint  some  one  more  acceptable  to  fill  his  place. 
He  then  left  the  assembly.  Almost  immediately,  five 
of  the  members  were  deputed  to  follow  and  entreat 
him  to  return.  After  some  hesitation  he  did  return  ; 
and  then  he  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  the  truce,  so 
convincing  that  all  the  deputies  except  those  of  Zea- 
land consented  to  it.  At  length  this  province  also 
yielded,  and  a  resolution  was  passed  to  enter  into 
negotiations. 

Accordingly  the  deputies  on  both  sides  reassembled 
under  the  adroit  leadership  of  Jeannin,  meeting  this 


THE    TWELVE    YEABS'    TRUCE.  321 

time  at  Antwerp,  in  the  Spanish  Netherlands.  The 
States-General  came  to  Bergeu-op-Zoom  in  order  to  be 
conveniently  near.  The  articles  of  truce  were  pro- 
posed by  Jeannin ;  and  coming  thus  as  from  friendly 
arbitrators,  were  more  easily  accepted.  Within  a  few 
weeks  all  was  settled.  The  truce  was  formally  con- 
cluded for  twelve  years,  under  the  guarantees  of 
France  and  England. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  Netherlanders  obtained 
every  one  of  their  three  indispensable  points.  Their 
independence  was  conceded ;  the  freedom  of  their 
commerce  was  established  ;  and  nothing  at  all  was 
said  about  granting  the  public  exercise  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion. 

Though  the  India  trade  was  not  expressly  men- 
tioned, Richardot  having  objected  that,  if  it  were  con- 
ceded in  so  many  words,  they  would  be  forced  to  say 
the  same  in  treating  with  other  nations,  the  liberty  was 
clearly  implied.  Besides,  in  a  secret  article,  the  king 
of  Spain  promised  to  offer  no  obstruction  to  it ;  and 
France  and  England  declared  that  if  it  were  inter- 
rupted, they  would  consider  the  truce  violated. 

The  ratification  by  the  king  of  Spain  arrived  a 
Utile  before  the  expiration  of  the  three  months 
allowed.  In  sending  it  the  king  took  occasion  to 
1  ecommend  kindness  toward  the  Catholics ;  a  sug- 
gestion which,   coming  from  that  quarter,  doubtless 


322         THi:  DAYS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

made  people  say  to  themselves,  "Is  Saul  also  among 
the  prophets?" 

The  States  settled  handsome  incomes  upon  Prince 
Maurice  and  all  the  Nassau  family ;  which  gratitude 
certainly  required,  in  view  of  what  they  had  done  and 
suffered  for  their  country. 

The  truce  was  proclaimed  April  9,  1609.  There 
was  immense  rejoicing  over  the  event  in  the  Spanish 
Netherlands,  whose  inhabitants  had  suffered  far  more 
from  the  war  than  had  the  people  of  the  United 
Provinces.  The  satisfaction  of  the  latter  was  natu- 
rally less  intense  and  universal.  Foreign  nations 
were  unboundedly  surprised  at  the  concessions  which 
Spain  had  made ;  and  now  they  all  began  to  look 
upon  the  sturdy  little  republic  with  respectful  and 
admiring  eyes. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

WHAT    HAPPENED    DURING    THE   TRUCE. 

LESS  than  a  month  after  the  twelve  years'  truce 
was  proclaimed,  there  occurred  an  incident 
which,  though  little  noticed  at  the  time,  must  ever 
have  a  special  interest  to  the  people  of  New  England. 
About  the  first  of  May,  a  small  body  of  English 
Puritans  whom  persecution  had  driven  from  their 
native  country,  and  who  had  passed  the  preceding 
winter  in  Amsterdam,  settled  in  Leyden.  In  that 
fair  and  free  city,  so  full  of  inspiring  memories,  they 
established  the  humble  homes  from  which,  eleven 
years  later,  they  went  forth  to  found  a  great  republic 
beyond  the  sea.  It  might  have  been  said  of  these, 
as  of  the  Corinthian  believers,  that  not  many  mighty, 
not  many  noble  had  been  called.  Many  of  them 
labored  with  their  hands  at  the  trades  to  which  they 
were  accustomed,  or  learned  trades,  in  order  to  earn 
their  bread ;  for  Leyden,  though  the  seat  of  a  great 
university,  was  also  a  busy  manufacturing  city,  the 
Leeds  or  Manchester  of  Holland.  There  were  some 
men   of    learning   among   them,    like    Brewster,    who 

323 


324  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE   MAUBICE. 

became  an  instructor  in  English  to  German  and 
Danish  students,  and  thus  supported  his  family  in 
comfort;  and  the  pastor,  Robinson,  who  was  made 
a  member  of  the  university.  Robinson  had  sufficient 
means  to  purchase  an  estate  near  the  church  of  Saint 
Peter,  and  built  upon  his  grounds  cottages  for  many 
families  of  the  congregation. 

The  Dutch  were  never  at  a  loss  for  something  to 
do ;  and  now  that  the  war  was  for  a  while  off  their 
hands  they  were  the  more  busy  in  all  the  arts  of 
peace.  Indeed  the  negotiations  were  hardly  opened 
before  they  set  about  one  of  those  immense  under- 
takings which  are  possible  only  to  men  of  indomitable 
perseverance.  This  was  the  draining  and  diking  of 
the  Beemster  Lake,  in  North  Holland.  It  was  twenty- 
four  miles  in  circumference,  and  the  depth  was  no- 
where less  than  six  feet.  They  began  the  work  in 
1608,  employing  constantly  forty  mills  to  pump;  the 
task  was  finished  in  1612,  and  eighteen  thousand  acres 
of  fine  arable  land  and  pasture,  thus  redeemed,  re- 
warded those  who  accomplished  the  great  enterprise. 
Similar  and  still  more  stupendous  undertakings  have 
been  carried  through  in  later  times  ;  the  draining  of 
the  Harlem  Lake,  containing  about  fifty  thousand 
acres,  was  achieved  not  very  long  ago,  and  possibly 
the  vast  Zuyder  Zee  will  yet  be  transformed  into 
fruitful  fields. 


DURING    THE   TItUCE.  325 

The  French  ambassador,  Jeannin,  whose  influence 
had  done  so  much  in  bringing  about  the  truce,  soon 
afterwards  ventured  to  make  some  observations  in 
regard  to  defects  in  the  Dutch  constitution.  "  Every 
resolution,"  said  he,  "  depends  upon  a  multitude  of 
persons,  who  mistrust  each  other,  and  change  their 
opinions  so  often  that  there  is  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  keeping  them  together."  This  was  perfectly  true. 
The  constitution  of  the  United  Provinces  was  deficient 
as  to  the  authority  of  the  central  government.  It 
was  a  loose  alliance  rather  than  a  well-compacted 
federation.  And  during  the  vicissitudes  of  the  period 
since  it  was  framed,  it  had  incidentally  been  modified 
to  its  harm.  Jeannin  proposed  a  kind  of  council  of 
state,  meeting  once  a  year,  with  certain  judicial  and 
executive  functions  ;  it  was  to  have  one  member  from 
each  province,  chosen  for  three  years  ;  Prince  Maurice, 
Count  Lewis  William,  and  Count  Frederic  Henry  were 
to  be  members  for  life ;  and  Barneveld  was  to  be 
president.  The  ambassadors  of  France  and  England 
were  also  to  be  members,  with  power  to  vote. 

But  the  plan  did  not  find  favor  with  the  moderate 
and  cautious  Dutch.  They  were  more  or  less  sensible 
that  their  constitution  was  not  all  that  could  be  de- 
sired ;  yet  it  had  so  far  worked  tolerably  well.  They 
had  their  doubts  about  the  proposed  council,  on  vari- 
ous grounds ;  perhaps  they  did  not  quite  see  why  it 


326  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

sliould  include  the  ambassadors.  But  they  did  not 
wish  to  give  offense  by  rejecting  Jeannin's  advice, 
and  so  they  politely  deferred  the  question  till  the 
following  year.  Before  that  time  Jeannin  returned 
home  loaded  with  honors  and  gifts ;  and  then  the 
whole  subject  —  to  use  their  shrewd  little  phrase  — 
"  was  noted  down  in  the  forget-book." 

One  very  important  event  of  this  memorable  year, 
1609,  was  the  founding  of  the  great  Bank  of  Amster- 
dam. Up  to  this  date,  and  indeed  for  many  years 
longer,  there  were  scarcely  more  than  two  or  three 
banks  in  Europe.  People  were  forced  to  use  coin  in 
most  of  their  transactions,  which  was  of  course  incon- 
venient and  unsafe.  In  a  foreign  country,  the  gold 
and  silver  money  one  carried  was  worth  no  more  than 
so  much  uncoined  metal.  The  Bank  of  Venice,  estab- 
lished away  back  in  the  Middle  Ages,  was  much  older 
than  any  other;  those  of  Genoa  and  Barcelona  fol- 
lowed centuries  later.  These  received  the  coins  of  all 
nations,  and  gave  the  depositors  certificates  which 
passed  from  hand  to  hand.  In  less  than  a  hundred 
years  after  the  founding  of  the  Amsterdam  bank  its 
vaults  contained  in  coin  one  hundred  and  eighty 
millions  of  dollars.  It  used  to  issue  notes  equal  in 
amount  to  the  specie  held ;  and  these  always  bore 
a  premium.  The  bank  also  charged  a  small  sum  on 
every  account.     It   was   managed,   strange   to  relate, 


DURING    THE   TEUCE.  327 

by  the  city  corporation,  and  they  did  it  honestly  and 
well.  Once  a  year  the  heads  of  the  corporation  ex- 
amined all  the  treasure  and  reported  under  oath. 

The  immense  importance  of  the  bank  to  the  pros- 
perity of  their  great  commercial  city  was  so  strongly 
felt  that  this  mode  of  administration  worked  well. 
In  1672  it  happened  that  there  was  a  run  upon  the 
bank,  which  was  quieted  by  taking  the  anxious  depos- 
itors into  the  vaults  to  see  what  was  stored  there. 
When  the  Bank  of  England  was  started,  eighty-five 
years  later  than  that  of  Amsterdam,  it  was  proposed 
to  have  it  managed  in  a  similar  way  by  the  municipal 
authorities  of  London.  But  it  was  concluded  that 
as  to  its  understanding  of  what  commercial  honor 
required,  London  was  not  yet  prepared  for  so  immense 
a  trust.  The  Bank  of  Amsterdam,  in  the  opinion  of 
Professor  Thorold  Rogers,  of  Oxford,  was  "  the  most 
famous  and  the  most  envied  institution  which  Holland 
contained." 

For  several  years  before  the  truce  began,  two  noted 
theological  professors  in  the  University  of  Leyden, 
Francis  Gomarus  and  Jacob  Arminius,  had  been 
deeply  engaged  in  a  controversy  about  the  doctrines 
of  predestination  and  free  will.  Each  had  a  body  of 
ardent  followers,  and  the  dispute  by  degrees  became 
so  strenuous  and  the  partisans  so  bitter  that  both  the 
Church  and  the  State  were  involved.     "While  each  was 


328  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

doubtless  sincere  Id  maintaining  what  he  believed  to 
be  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  it  was  perhaps  not  suffi- 
ciently kept  in  mind  that  no  human  intellect  can  fully 
grasp  themes  like  these.  One  gazes  at  the  great  truth 
on  this  side,  and  the  other  on  that. 

Arminius  had  studied  theology  at  Geneva  under 
Beza,  the  most  extreme  of  Calvinists  ;  but  later  his 
views  of  predestination  had  become  somewhat  modi- 
fied. After  his  coming  to  Leyden,  Gomarus  bitterW 
complained  of  his  way  of  presenting  the  doctrine, 
and  stirred  up  most  of  the  clergy  of  Holland  against 
him.  lu  October,  1609,  the  mild  and  gentle  Arminius 
died,  in  the  prime  of  life,  but  worn  out  by  anxiety  and 
disease.  His  followers,  though  still  a  minority,  grad- 
ually became  more  bold  in  maintaining  their  views, 
and  indeed  went  beyond  their  leader,  as  often  happens 
in  such  a  case.  At  first  the  discussions  were  alto- 
gether among  the  learned  and  were  carried  on  in 
Latin.  But  as  the  contention  grew  still  warmer,  it 
was  brought  into  every  pulpit  and  absorbed  even  the 
common  people. 

In  1610  the  Arminians  presented  to  the  States- 
General  a  paper  explaining  the  positions  which  tliey 
held,  on  account  of  which  they  were  so  sevei'ely  cen- 
sured. They  called  the  document  their  "  Remon- 
strance," and  from  that  time  they  were  generally 
spoken  of  as  the  "  Remonstrants."     There  were  five 


DUBING    THE   TBUCE.  329 

propositions,  since  often  referred  to  as  the  five  points 
of  Arminianism.     They  Avere  in  substance  as  follows: 

1.  That  predestination  is  only  conditional,  God  having  decreed 
that  those  should  be  saved  who  he  foresaw  would  accept  the  terms 
of  salvation. 

2.  That  Christ's  atonement  is  sufficient  for  all,  although  it  avails 
for  those  alone  who  accept  it. 

3.  That  no  man  is  able  of  himself  to  exercise  saving  faith,  but 
must  be  born  again  of  God  in  Christ,  through  the  Holj'  Spirit. 

4.  That  without  the  grace  of  God  man  can  neither  think,  will,  nor 
do  anything  that  is  good;  yet  that  grace  does  not  act  in  an  irresisti- 
ble way. 

5.  That  believers  are  able,  by  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  victori- 
ously to  resist  sin,  but  that  the  question  of  the  possibility  of  a  fall 
from  grace  must  be  determined  by  further  study  of  the  Scriptures. 

The  next  year  this  last  point  was  decided  affirma- 
tively ;  that  is,  that  to  fall  from  grace  is  possible. 

The  followers  of  Gomarus  published  a  strong 
"  counter  remonstrance"  in  which  they  asserted  abso- 
lute and  arbitrary  predestination  and  reprobation.  So 
they  got  the  name  of  "  Contra-remonstrants "  by 
which  they  were  almost  always  called  during  those 
days  ;  one  needs  only  to  keep  in  mind  that  it  is  equiv- 
alent to  Gomarists  or  Calvinists,  just  as  "  Remon- 
strants "  means  Arminians. 

The  strife  grew  more  and  more  bitter  year  by  year. 
In  January,  1614,  the  States,  influenced  mainly  by  the 
eminent  Hugo  Grotius  and  Barneveld,  issued  an  edict 
of  complete  mutual  toleration,  and  enjoined  it  upon 


330         THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAVBICE. 

both  parties  that  they  should  cease  theh'  strife.  But 
the  followers  of  Gomarus  would  not  obey,  and  the 
excitement  soon  became  so  violent  that  the  other 
party  felt  it  necessary  in  certain  towns  to  have  a  guard 
of  militiamen  —  waao'dg elders  —  appointed  for  pro- 
tection in  case  of  a  riot. 

And  now  the  strife  became  political  no  less  than 
theological.  Barneveld  had  always  been  inclined 
toward  the  milder  doctrines  of  the  Remonstrants,  and 
indeed  toward  tolerance  in  general.  He  was  now 
decidedly  of  that  party.  The  prince  liad  been  en- 
deavoring to  hold  a  neutral  position ;  but  now  he 
came  out  openly  on  the  side  of  the  Contra-remon- 
strants,  justifying  himself  by  appealing  to  his  oath  of 
otHce  taken  in  1586.  He  had  then  sworn  to  defend 
the  Reformed  faith,  and  that  meant  nothing  else  than 
Calvinism  in  his  view.  So  he  used  his  official  power, 
as  well  as  his  personal  influence,  on  that  side,  even 
making  arbitrary  changes  in  many  of  the  municipal 
boards  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  the  Contra- 
remonstrant  party.  It  was  a  mistake  on  the  part  of 
the  Remonstrants  to  ask  for  the  guards,  as  it  provoked 
their  opponents  to  still  more  strenuous  opposition, 
and  those  cities  which  had  provided  waardgelders 
were  forced  to  disband  them,  on  pain  of  being  treated 
as  rebels. 

There   had  long   been  talk   of   convening   a   great 


DUBING    THE   TBUCE.  331 

synod  to  settle  the  disputed  points,  and  at  length  the 
States-General  decided  to  do  so.  But  it  soon  appeared 
that  the  synod  would  be  made  up  of  Contra-remon- 
strants  alone.  In  most  of  the  provinces  except  Hol- 
land that  party  was  much  more  numerous  than  the 
other,  and  Prince  Maurice  was  now  controlling  affairs 
so  strenuously  that  even  there  the  Remonstrants  had 
no  chance.  At  Briel,  Delft,  Hooru,  and  other  places, 
attended  by  troops,  he  deposed  the  town  councils  and 
appointed  only  men  who  would  suit  his  purpose.  Even 
Harlem,  Leyden,  Rotterdam,  and  Amsterdam  had  to 
submit.  So  Holland  saw  its  provincial  synod,  like  the 
rest,  appoint  Contra-remonstrants  only,  as  delegates 
to  the  national  synod. 

This  august  body  assembled  at  Dordrecht,  com- 
monly called  Dort,  November  13,  1618.  There  were 
in  all  sixty-three  ecclesiastical  delegates  from  the 
seven  provinces,  including,  besides  the  pastors,  five 
professors  of  theology  and  twenty  elders.  There 
were  also  eighteen  deputies  from  the  States-General, 
and  there  were  twenty-eight  foreign  members  sent  by 
the  English,  Swiss,  and  other  cliurches.  The  sessions 
were  generally  attended  by  a  vast  number  of  people, 
though  the  speeches  and  papers  were  all  in  Latin. 

The  Remonstrants  naturally  wished  to  be  fairly 
represented,  and  to  have  their  men  share  in  the  dis- 
cussions  on   equal    footing   with   the   rest.     But    the 


332         THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBICE. 

political  deputies  told  them  that  the  synod  would 
summon  those  who  were  wanted  there.  And  thirteen 
Remonstrant  ministers  were  aceordingl}'  notified  to 
appear  within  fourteen  days,  before  this  tribunal  made 
up  exclusively  of  their  declared  opponents. 

It  would  fill  a  volume  to  tell  all  that  passed  in  the 
memorable  synod  of  Dort.  It  sat  until  May  9,  1619, 
not  including  the  sessions  held  after  the  foreign  mem- 
bers had  gone  home.  The  Arminian  ministers  sum- 
moned were  from  the  first  treated  as  an  accused  party, 
and  did  not  have  the  freedom  of  the  floor.  They 
might  reply  to  questions,  but  were  not  to  comment 
upon  the  views  of  their  opponents,  and  were  to  hold 
their  peace  when  the  synod  had  heard  enough.  This 
they  did  not  consider  fair  treatment,  nor  would  they 
agree  to  give  only  brief  and  categorical  answers. 
Either  they  would  reply  in  writing  after  due  consulta- 
tion among  themselves,  or  by  the  mouth  of  their  ablest 
man.  After  a  great  deal  of  diflflculty  they  were  told 
not  to  appear  in  the  synod,  yet  to  remain  in  Dort. 
The  foreign  delegates  did  not  consider  these  very 
dignified  proceedings  on  the  part  of  this  great  assem- 
bly, and  so  the  synod  after  a  while  permitted  the 
Remonstrants  to  send  written  statements  within  a 
brief  specified  time. 

At  length  the  synod  prepared  and  adopted  —  not 
without    much    debate    on    various    points  —  certain 


DURING    THE   TRUCE.  333 

canons,  refuting  the  Arminian  views  and  setting  forth 
what  they  deemed  orthodox,  in  substance  as  follows : 

That  God  had  preordained  by  an  eternal  and  immutable 
decree  before  the  creation  of  the  world,  upon  whom  he  will 
bestow  the  free  gift  of  his  grace;  that  the  atonement  of  Christ, 
though  sufficient  for  all  the  world,  is  efficacious  only  for  the  elect; 
that  conversion  is  not  eflected  by  any  eflfort  of  man,  but  by  the 
free  grace  of  God  given  to  those  only  whom  he  has  chosen  from 
all  eternity;  and  that  it  is  impossible  for  the  elect  to  fall  away 
from  this  grace.i 

Then  the  synod  passed  judgment  on  the  Remon- 
strant ministers  on  trial  before  them,  declaring  them 
innovators  and  disturbers  of  the  church  and  nation, 
teachers  of  false  doctrine,  and  leaders  of  faction. 
They  were  deprived  of  all  their  offices  in  the  church 
and  the  university  till  they  should  give  proofs  of 
repentance.  The  States-General  confirmed  this 
sentence. 

After  the  foreign  delegates  had  left,  the  Netherland 
members  further  decreed  that  all  the  Remonstrant 
clergy,  numbering  two  or  three  hundred,  should  be 
deprived  of  their  office,  unless  they  would  renounce 
their  errors.  Nor  could  any  person  either  preach  or 
teach  school  without  having  subscribed  to  the  Heidel- 
berg Catechism  and  the  Belgic  Confession  of  Faith, 
as  well  as  to  the  canons  of  the  synod. 

Now  the  catechism  of  Heidelberg,  as  it  is  commonly 

1  Daviea'  History  of  Hollaud,  2 :  509. 


334  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

called,  had  long  been  known  and  loved  in  the  Nether- 
lands. One  would  say  that  it  might  well  find  favor 
with  almost  any  devout  Christian.  For  example, 
what  could  be  more  tender  and  sweet  than  the  open- 
ing question  and  its  glad  reply  :  — 

What  is  thy  only  comfort  iu  life  and  death? 

That  I,  with  body  and  soul,  both  in  life  and  death,  am  not  my 
own,  but  belong  unto  my  faithful  Saviour,  Jes;us  Christ,  who  with 
his  precious  blood  hath  fully  satisfied  for  all  my  sins  and  delivered 
me  from  all  the  power  of  the  devil ;  and  so  preserves  me  that  with- 
out the  will  of  my  heavenly  Father  not  a  hair  can  fall  from  my 
head,  yea,  that  all  things  must  be  subservient  to  my  salvation; 
and  therefore  by  his  Holy  Spirit  he  also  assures  me  of  eternal  life, 
and  makes  me  sincerely  willing  and  ready  henceforth  to  live  unto 
him. 

All  through,  it  seems  that  those  who  prepared  this 
catechism  were  bent,  not  upon  proclaiming  cold 
theological  dogmas,  but  upon  setting  forth  the  living 
Saviour  who  meets  every  want  of  human  hearts. 
Though  Calvinistic,  indeed,  its  Calvinism  is  of  the 
mildest  type.     All  it  says  on  predestination  is  this  :  — 

That  the  Son  of  God,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  gathers,  defends,  and  preserves  to  himself,  by  his  Spirit  and 
word,  a  church  chosen  to  everlasting  life,  agreeing  in  true  faith. 

This  is  by  no  means  so  strongly  expressed  as  in  the 
"Westminster  Catechism,  framed  nearly  thu-ty  years 
after  the  synod.  Yet  the  Contra-remonstrauts  some- 
how  read  "between   the  lines  "enough   to   bring  its 


DURING    THE   TRUCE.  335 

meaning  up  to  the  stern  canons  of  Dort ;  and  there- 
fore their  opponents  did  not  like  being  forced  to 
subscribe  to  every  jot  and  tittle  of  it,  as  interpreted 
by  the  synod.  They  felt  that  they  ought  to  be  per- 
mitted to  think  a  little  for  themselves  as  to  what  the 
Bible  teaches  ;  and  because  they  were  so  strictly  for- 
bidden they  persisted  the  more. 

There  have  been  widely  differing  estimates  of  this 
memorable  synod.  By  many  it  has  been  profoundly 
reverenced,  and  its  canons  have  been  their  standards 
of  faith.  Others  have  seen  in  some  of  its  acts  rather 
too  much  of  poor  human  nature.  Doubtless  many  of 
its  members  desired  simply  to  maintain  the  truth. 
But  a  party  conscious  of  having  the  power  in  its 
own  hands  is  ever  liable  to  be  overbearing  towards 
opponents,  without  knowing  it.  And  a  party  treated 
with  intolerance  is  quite  certain  to  proceed  farther, 
in  the  course  objected  to,  than  it  otherwise  would. 
This  was  apparent  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the 
oppressed  Remonstrants.  Their  doctrines  diverged 
more  and  more  widely  from  the  standards  which  the 
synod  had  decreed,  and  indeed  from  those  of  their 
leader  himself.  Had  they  been  the  majority,  perhaps 
the  other  party  would  have  been  oppressed  in  their 
turn. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

barneveld's  trial  and  execution. 

WHILE  the  synod  was  sitting  at  Dort,  a  very 
serious  matter  was  in  progress  at  The  Hague. 

The  alienation  between  the  prince  and  Barneveld 
had  now  come  to  such  a  point  that  the  friends  of  the 
great  statesman  were  anxious  on  his  account. 
Maurice  well  knew  that  Barneveld's  influence  often 
thwarted  his  own  schemes,  as  in  the  matter  of  the 
twelve  years'  truce ;  and  he  had  been  much  dis- 
pleased about  the  levy  of  waardgelders  to  protect 
the  Remonstrants.  Having  inherited  from  his  elder 
brother  the  title  and  estates  of  Orange,  he  was  grow- 
ing more  and  more  arbitrary.  And  now  he  was  re- 
solved to  crush  the  great  statesman  who  stood  so 
much  in  his  way. 

Barneveld's  friends  privately  warned  him  that  he 
was  not  safe,  but  he  would  not  withdraw  from  The 
Hague.  Come  what  might,  he  was  determined  to 
remain  at  his  post.  On  the  morning  of  August  29, 
1618,  when  about  to  enter  the  assembly  of  the  States 
of  Holland,  he  was  told  that  the  prince  wished  to 
speak  with  him.     On  reaching  the  usual  place  of  con- 

336 


BABNEVELD'S    TBIAL.  337 

ference,  au  officer  of  the  prince's  bodyguard  arrested 
him  in  the  name  of  the  States-General.  But  the 
States  as  a  body  had  not  been  consulted ;  besides, 
Barneveld  belonged  to  the  province  of  Holland,  and 
was  under  its  protection.  Grotius,  the  pensionary  of 
Rotterdam,  and  Hoogerbeets,  pensionary  of  Leyden, 
were  also  arrested  the  same  morning,  though  they 
were  under  the  jurisdiction  of  those  cities.  The  three 
were  separately  confined,  and  neither  knew  of  the 
arrest  of  the  others. 

All  this  was  arbitrary  and  violent  treatment ;  yet 
the  vStates-General  appeared  to  acquiesce  in  it,  though 
the  deputies  of  Holland  were  dumb  with  amazement 
and  grief.  The  States  of  that  province  ventured  to 
remonstrate,  as  did  the  cities  of  Rotterdam  and 
Leyden,  but  it  was  in  vain.  The  prince  sustained 
himself  by  referring  to  the  States-General,  and  refused 
the  petition  of  Barneveld's  sons-in-law,  that  their 
aged  father  might  at  least  have  his  own  house  for  his 
place  of  confinement. 

The  young  king  of  France,  Louis  XIII  —  who  had 
succeeded  his  father,  Henry  IV,  in  1610 — instructed 
his  ambassador  to  do  his  utmost  in  behalf  of  the 
prisoners  ;  but  his  intercession  was  unheeded.  This 
displeased  the  king  so  much  that  he  would  not  allow 
the  French  delegates  to  attend  the  synod  of  Dort, 
then    shortly   to   assemble.     Barneveld    was    kept    in 


338  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

close  confinement  at  The  Hague,  and  was  not  allowed 
to  see  bis  wife  and  children.  Even  the  use  of  writing 
materials  was  at  first  denied,  but  his  friends  secretly 
communicated  with  him,  and  informed  him  of  what 
was  going  on. 

The  membership  of  the  States  of  the  province  of 
Holland  had  been  not  a  little  changed  by  Prince 
Maurice's  arbitrary  reconstruction  of  many  of  the 
municipal  boards  by  whom  they  were  elected  ;  and  so 
they  meekly  allowed  the  prince  and  the  States-General 
to  retain  their  usurped  authority  over  the  prisoners. 
A  special,  commission,  made  up  of  persous  upon 
whom  the  prince  could  depend,  was  appointed  to  try 
them.  The  examination  of  Barneveld  occupied 
twenty-three  sessions  ;  he  was  not  permitted  to  take 
notes,  either  of  the  interrogatories  or  of  his  replies, 
although  they  covered  his  whole  public  career ;  indeed 
the  questions  seemed  as  if  contrived  on  purpose  to 
confuse  and  perplex  the  aged  prisoner. 

After  the  examination  was  finished,  the  States- 
General  proceeded  to  appoint  twenty-four  judges, 
twelve  of  whom  were  of  the  province  of  Holland. 
Now  the  States-General  were  perfectly  aware  that 
they  possessed  no  jurisdiction  in  Holland  ;  and  they 
even  alluded  to  this  fact,  by  assuring  that  province 
that  as  a  rule  they  did  not  propose  to  proceed  thus. 
And   Grotius   and   Hoogerbeets   were   amenable  only 


JOHANVAN  OLDENBARNEVELT. 


RLDDER.  HEER  VANTDEN  TEMPEL.BERKELRODENTO'S  etc. 
ABVOC^AT  VA>f  HOIXAXDT  EN  WESTVKIESLANBTete. 

John  of  Barneveld. 
From  Bor's  History  of  the  Netherlands,  1621. 


BAENE VELD'S   TRIAL.  339 

to  their  respectives  cities  of  Rotterdam  and  Ley- 
deu,  both  of  which  possessed  the  high  jurisdictiou. 
Besides,  some  of  the  judges  were  personal  enemies 
of  Barneveld  ;  and  most  of  them  had  been  active  in 
the  previous  proceedings.  It  was  in  vain  that  the 
three  prisoners  denied  the  competency  of  the  court ; 
it  proceeded  to  condemn  them  as  if  it  really  had  the 
right. 

The  charges  against  Barneveld  were  mostly  con- 
nected in  some  way  with  the  theological  disputes. 
One  of  the  chief  accusations  was  that  he  had  main- 
tained "the  exorbitant  and  pernicious  maxim  "  that 
each  province  should  be  sovereign  in  regard  to  its  own 
ecclesiastical  affairs.  Now  this  had  been  expressly 
laid  down  in  the  exposition  of  the  thirteenth  article  of 
the  Union  of  Utrecht.  The  levy  of  waardgelders  had 
been  made  with  the  sanction  of  the  States  of  Holland  ; 
if  Barneveld  had  misled  them  in  that  instance,  it 
was  for  them  to  call  their  minister  to  account.  The 
other  charges  were  equally  unfounded,  and  though 
they  were  numerous  they  would  not  together  have 
amounted  to  treason  had  they  been  proved.  The 
only  capital  offense  charged  was  that  of  carrying  on 
correspondence  with  Spain  ;  and  they  had  no  evidence 
at  all  for  that.  But  the  States-General  were  cruel 
enough  to  send  to  each  province  a  manifesto  stating 
that  many  other  crimes  were  laid  to  his  charge  ;  but 


340         THE  DATS  OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

these  could  not  be  proved  without  "  stricter  exam- 
ination "  —  supposed  to  mean  torture.  As  the  pris- 
oner was  so  aged,  they  were  not  willing  to  resort  to 
that !  One  would  suppose  that  for  the  same  reason 
they  would  have  been  unwilling  to  put  him  to  death 
without  proof. 

The  verdict  of  a  historian  who  studied  the  case  with 
great  thoroughness  and  candor  is,  that  "  never  states- 
man more  upright,  never  patriot  purer  fell  a  victim 
to  party  rage  and  unprincipled  ambition."  ^ 

On  Sunday  evening.  May  12,  1G19  —  only  three 
days  after  the  foreign  delegates  had  departed  from 
Dort  —  two  of  Barneveld's  judges  came  to  his  prison 
to  tell  him  that  next  morning  he  was  to  be  sentenced 
to  death.  He  was  surprised,  as  well  he  might  be ; 
but  he  mildly  asked  leave  to  write  a  farewell  letter 
to  his  wife.  When  paper  and  pen  had  been  brought 
he  began  calmly  to  write.  While  thus  occupied, 
three  ministers  came  to  prepare  him  for  death.  He 
said  he  had  long  ago  prepared  himself  to  die,  but 
conversed  freely  with  them  and  desired  them  to  sup 
with  him. 

After  supper  he  sent  one  of   the  ministers  to   the 

prince,  asking  his  forgiveness  if  he  had  offended  him, 

and  his  favor  for  the  children  he  was  about  to  leave. 

It   is    said    that   Maurice   listened   with  tearful  eyes, 

» Davies,  History  of  Holland. 


BARNEVELD'  S    TRIAL.  3il 

declaring  that  he  had  always  loved  Barneveld  ;  but 
that  lie  had  been  vexed  by  the  advocate's  suyiuir  that 
he  aimed  at  sovereignty,  and  by  the  personal  danger 
to  which  the  affair  at  Utrecht  exposed  him,  for  which 
he  somehow  blamed  Barneveld.  Still  he  said  he  for- 
gave him,  and  would  protect  his  children  as  long  as 
they  deserved  it.  When  this  message  was  reported 
to  Barneveld  he  replied  that  he  was  not  responsible 
as  to  the  Utrecht  affair,  but  admitted  that  ever  since 
the  year  1600  he  had  feared  the  prince  was  aspiring 
to  the  sovereignty. 

After  this  they  talked  for  some  time  about  the 
doctrine  of  predestination,  which  was  absorbing  all 
minds  ;  and  Barneveld  defended  the  milder  view  which 
the  Arminians  held  with  arguments  so  powerful  tliat 
the  ministers  were  amazed  and  silenced.  Before 
taking  leave  they  prayed  with  him  ;  and  afterward,  as 
Barneveld  found  himself  unable  to  sleep,  one  of  them 
returned  and  read  the  prayers  for  the  sick.  In  the 
morning  they  again  waited  upon  him  and  read  prayers, 
together  with  some  chapters  of  Isaiah. 

The  French  ambassador,  who  did  not  hear  of 
Barueveld's  sentence  till  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
sent  to  ask  an  immediate  interview  with  the  States- 
General.  It  was  refused  on  account  of  the  early 
hour ;  but  he  sent  a  letter  earnestly  pleading  for 
Barneveld's   life.     The    princess-dowager,    widow    of 


342  THE  DAYS  OF  PRINCE  MAURICE. 

"William  the  Silent,  tried  in  vain  to  obtain  an  inter- 
view with  her  stepson,  the  prince,  on  the  same  errand. 
The  intercession  of  the  English  ambassador  would 
probably  have  availed ;  but  James  hated  Barneveld 
for  various  reasons,  and  his  minister  did  nothing  to 
save  the  advocate's  life. 

The  sentence  was  pronounced  in  a  lower  room  of 
the  courthouse.  It  contained  many  accusations  not 
previously  made,  as  the  venerable  prisoner  remarked. 
His  estates  were  confiscated.  "I  thought,"  said  he, 
"  that  the  States-General  would  have  been  satisfied 
with  my  blood,  and  would  liave  allowed  my  wife  and 
children  to  keep  what  is  their  own."  To  this  one  of 
the  judges  sternly  replied  :  "  Your  sentence  is  read  ; 
away  !  away  !  " 

So  the  old  patriot,  supporting  his  steps  with  a  staff 
and  leaning  on  his  servant's  arm,  calmly  went  out  to 
die.  The  scaffold  was  in  the  public  square  in  front  of 
the  great  hall  of  the  courthouse.  A  crowd  of  spec- 
tators filled  the  square  and  gazed  from  surrounding 
windows  and  roofs.  Barneveld  knelt  on  the  bare 
planks  of  the  scaffold,  while  the  clergyman  read  the 
last  prayer.  After  all  was  in  readiness,  he  turned  to 
the  gazing  multitude  and  with  a  firm  voice  exclaimed  : 
"  My  friends,  believe  not  that  I  am  a  traitor.  I  have 
lived  a  good  patriot,  and  as  such  I  die."  Then  draw- 
ing the  black  cap  over  his  face,  he  bade  the  execu- 


BAENE VELD'S  DEATH.  343 

tioner  be  quick,  and  bowed  his  head  to  the  stroke  of 
the  flashing  sword. 

Of  the  thousands  who  beheld  the  scene,  many  loved 
the  man  who  had  thus  been  put  to  death.  Crowds 
pressed  to  the  scaffold  and  carried  away  portions  of 
the  blood-stained  wood  and  sand  as  relics.  The 
remains  w^ere  laid  in  a  rough  coffin  and  interred  tem- 
porarily at  the  court  church  of  The  Hague.  The 
States  of  Holland  testified  their  high  esteem  for  their 
advocate  in  their  record  of  his  death. 

The  other  prisoners  were  kept  in  suspense  for  some 
time.  The  scaffold  was  left  standing  for  fifteen  days 
as  if  awaiting  these  other  victims.  But  Grotius,  espe- 
cially, was  a  man  of  wonderful  abilitiy  and  learn- 
ing ;  it  appeared  hardly  safe  to  proceed  to  that  length 
iu  his  case,  lest  all  Europe  should  cry  out.  So  both 
were  sentenced  to  perpetual  imprisonment  in  the  castle 
of  Louvestein. 

Perhaps  it  is  not  surprising  that  in  the  excitement 
of  the  time  many  severe  and  unjust  things  were  done 
by  the  party  in  power.  It  seemed  almost  as  if  the 
old  days  of  persecution  had  come  back.  The  Remon- 
strants could  hold  no  meetings,  even  in  private.  If 
any  one  attended  any  assembly  of  theirs,  he  was  fined 
twenty-five  guilders,  and  required  to  tell  who  had  gone 
with  him  on  pain  of  being  fined  as  much  more.  Any- 
body who  would   arrest  a  Remonstrant  minister  was 


344  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

offered  a  reward  of  five  hundred  guilders,  and  three 
hundred  for  catching  one  of  their  theological  students. 
Ministers  and  students  who  persisted  in  preaching 
were  sentenced  to  perpetual  imprisonment  as  disturb- 
ers of  the  peace.  At  the  same  time  the  Lutherans 
and  Anabaptists  were  allowed  to  have  thek  public 
worship  as  openly  as  the  Calvinists  themselves ;  and 
even  Catholics  and  Jews  might  hold  private  services. 
This  discrimination  against  the  Remonstrants  was 
defended  on  the  ground  that  the  latter  were  inno- 
vators, subverting  the  established  church,  while  the 
Lutherans  and  Anabaptists  were  sects  as  old  as  the 
Reformation.  Had  this  been  a  sound  argument,  it 
would  have  been  still  more  serviceable  to  the  Roman 
Catholics. 

Those  ministers  who  had  been  condemned  by  the 
synod  of  Dort  were  offered  a  competent  maintenance, 
provided  they  would  not  preach  ;  but  only  one  of  the 
fourteen  would  promise  that.  So  they  were  banished 
from  the  United  Provinces  without  being  allowed  to 
arrange  their  affairs  or  take  leave  of  their  families. 
But  they  were  given  some  money  for  their  journey, 
and  while  in  exile  were  treated  with  much  considera- 
tion and  kindness  by  many  persons  whom  they  met. 
All  the  rest  of  the  Remonstrant  clergy  were  deprived 
of  their  parishes  and  silenced  ;  eighty  of  them,  who 
would    not    cease    preaching,    were    banished;     and 


BAENE VELD'S  DEATH.  345 

matters  came  to  such  a  pass  that  for  a  time  the 
meetings  of  the  oppressed  party  were  hunted  up  and 
dispersed  by  soldiers.  Many  took  refuge  in  other 
lands,  and  —  strange  to  tell  —  even  in  the  provinces 
governed  by  the  archdukes. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


AFTER   THE    TRUCE. 


THE  little  community  of  English  Puritans  dwell- 
ing in  Leyden  had  grown  somewhat,  during 
these  years  of  the  truce,  by  the  coming  of  one  and 
another  to  join  them ;  and  they  now  numbered  about 
three  hundred.  Captain  Myles  Staudish,  who  had 
been  serving  in  the  war,  was  one  who  joined  them  in 
Leyden.  They  must  have  found  the  very  air  of  a  city 
that  had  such  a  history  a  perpetual  stimulant  to  their 
love  of  freedom.  We  can  imagine  how  they  listened 
again  and  again  to  stories  of  the  siege,  from  the  lips 
of  old  men  who  bore  a  part  in  it  all ;  or  from  those 
of  men  not  yet  old,  who  were  children  then,  and  well 
remembered  the  terrible  famine.  How  often  they 
must  have  climbed  to  the  summit  of  the  old  tower, 
where  the  famishing  people  used  to  go  in  those  dread- 
ful days  of  hope  deferred,  to  see  if  the  ships  were 
sailing  over  the  flooded  country  to  their  relief !  And 
with  what  emotion  they  must  have  gazed  at  the  burgo- 
master's house,  where  the  heroic  Adrian  van  der  Werf 
faced  the  desperate  crowd  of  starving  men  and  told 
them  he  would  never  surrender  the  town.     Well  may 

346 


AFTEB    THE   TRUCE.  347 

such  scenes  and  memories  have  strengthened  them  for 
what  they  must  themselves  do  and  endure ! 

Meanwhile  they  had  doubtless  been  watching  the 
events  in  progress  around  them  with  anxious  eyes. 
While  they  had  found  in  Holland  a  temporary  asylum 
from  persecution,  and  fi-eedom  to  worship  God  in 
their  own  way,  the  future  seemed  all  uncertain.  The 
truce  would  soon  close,  and  none  could  tell  what  would 
follow.  Besides,  they  could  not  help  seeing  that  the 
influences  surrounding  their  children  were  not  in  all 
respects  what  they  could  desire.  They  would  inevi- 
tably forget  their  English  tongue  and  their  English 
ways  if  they  remained  there.  Already  there  was 
more  or  less  of  intermarrying  between  the  3'oung 
people  of  Ley  den  and  their  own.  If  they  would  have 
their  descendants  English,  they  must  go  and  make  for 
themselves  a  home  beyond  the  sea.  And  although 
their  Leyden  neighbors  desired  them  to  stay,  declar- 
ing that  in  the  whole  time  of  their  dwelling  among 
them  they  had  never  given  the  least  cause  of  com- 
plaint, the  decision  was  made. 

We  all  remember  the  story :  what  difficulties  were 
in  the  way  at  the  outset ;  what  painful  decisions  be- 
tween staying  and  going  had  to  be  made  ;  the  sorrow- 
ful parting  at  Delftshaveu,  the  stormy  voyage,  the 
wintry  landing  at  Plymouth,  and  the  perils  of  their 
wilderness  life.     Two  hundred  and  seventy-one  years 


348  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  3IAURICE. 

after  they  left  Leyden^  there  gathered  in  that  historic 
city  the  representatives  of  the  great  Independent 
churches  of  America  and  England,  to  honor  the  mem- 
ory of  that  pilgrim  band.  A  bronze  tablet  suitably 
inscribed,  which  had  been  placed  in  the  wall  of  Saint 
Peter's  church,  over  against  the  spot  where  the  Puri- 
tans used  to  assemble,  was  then  unveiled. 

"  That  little  Leyden  church,"  says  an  able  writer,^ 
"  is  the  parent  of  Independency  alike  in  England  and 
America."  In  the  same  article  it  is  stated  that  in 
the  twenty  years  following,  between  1620  and  1640, 
upwards  of  twenty-two  thousand  emigrants  to  Amer- 
ica sailed  from  English  and  Dutch  ports  —  some 
reckon  double  that  number.  "  The  reasons  that  com- 
pelled their  departure  determined  their  quality  ;  the^ 
were  all  men  of  rigorous  consciences,  who  loved  their 
fatherland  much,  but  religion  more.  .  .  .  Men  so 
moved,  so  to  act,  could  hardly  be  commonplace." 
He  adds :  "  The  growth  of  the  New  England  States 
and  their  independency  in  religion  exercised  an  ex- 
traordinary influence  in  England.  It  was  the  first 
realization,  on  a  large  scale,  of  the  principles  of 
Independency." 

1  The  date  of  the  ceremony  here  referred  to  was  July  24,  1891.  A 
pamphlet  containing  the  addresses  was  published  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
at  the  Congregational  House,  Boston.  See  also  The  Congregationalist 
of  13  August,  1891,  and  other  denominational  papers  about  the  same 
date. 

'  See  article  "  Independency,"  in  Encyclopaedia  Britannica. 


AFTEB    THE   TRUCE.  349 

From  time  to  time,  one  and  anotlier  of  the  banished 
Arminiau  ministers  ventured  back  into  the  United 
Provinces  ;  but  they  were  as  promptly  arrested  and 
imprisoned  as  if  they  had  perpetrated  a  crime.  Some- 
times their  friends  contrived  ways  for  their  escape 
from  the  jails  ;  and  so  the  States  of  Holland  resolved 
thenceforth  to  send  all  ^uch  cases  to  the  castle  of 
Louvestein,  where  Grotius  and  Hoogerbeets  were  con- 
fined. It  was  a  remarkably  strong  fortress,  standing 
on  the  point  of  land  where  the  waters  of  the  Meuse 
and  those  of  the  Waal  unite.  And  after  this,  the 
party  that  opposed  Prince  Maurice  used  to  be  called 
"  the  Louvestein  faction." 

The  eminent  Grotius,  who  was  a  prodigy  of  learn- 
ing and  talent,  was  busy  during  his  imprisonment  in 
writing  commentaries  on  the  Gospels,  and  a  work 
entitled  "The  Truth  of  the  Christian  Religion."  His 
wife,  Maria  van  Reigersbergen,  had  obtained  permis- 
sion to  share  his  captivity  ;  and  sometimes  she  got 
leave  to  go  out  to  borrow  from  some  of  his  learned 
friends  the  numei-ous  works  which  he  needed  to  con- 
sult, as  well  as  to  purchase  supplies.  The  books  used 
to  be  sent  to  the  castle  from  time  to  time  in  a  great 
box,  and  when  Grotius  had  done  with  them  they  were 
returned  in  the  same  way.  At  first  the  governor  of 
the  castle  used  to  have  the  box  opened  and  searched 
with  care  every  time.     But  as  nothing  except  books 


350  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE   MAUBIGE. 

and  supplies  of  linen  was  ever  found,  the  box  at 
length  was  suffered  to  pass  without  being  examined 
at  all. 

And  now  a  bright  idea  occurred  to  the  faithful  wife. 
Would  it  not  be  possible  for  her  husband  to  be  con- 
cealed in  the  box  and  thus  make  his  escape?  To  be 
sure  it  was  only  a  little  more  than  four  feet  long,  but 
it  was  broad  and  deep  ;  and  there  could  be  some  air- 
holes bored  here  and  there  where  they  would  not  be 
noticed.  So  she  made  Grotius  get  into  the  chest  one 
day,  and  she  closed  the  lid  to  try  how  long  he  could 
endure  staying  there.  After  several  experiments, 
lasting  two  hours  at  a  time,  Madame  Grotius  arranged 
the  details  of  her  plan.  She  told  the  governor's  wife, 
whose  favor  she  had  been  careful  to  win,  that  some 
day  before  long  she  wanted  the  chest  of  books  taken 
away  ;  her  husband  pored  over  them  so  much  that  he 
was  wearing  himself  out.  And  she  confided  the  great 
secret  to  her  trusty  maid  Elsie  ;  for  some  one  must 
go  in  charge  of  the  precious  box.  Elsie  was  equal  to 
the  occasion,  though  she  knew  there  would  be  peril 
to  herself. 

So  one  day  when  the  governor  of  the  castle  was 
known  to  be  absent,  Grotius,  very  thinly  clad,  was 
locked  up  in  the  chest,  and  the  soldiers  were  sum- 
moned to  carry  it  out  as  usual.  Lest  they  should 
notice  that  Grotius  was  not  in  the  room,  Maria  had 


AFTER    THE    TRUCE.  351 

drawn  the  bed  curtains  close  and  left  her  husband's 
suit  on  a  chair  beside  the  bed,  as  if  he  were  ill. 
When  they  lifted  the  chest  the  men  said :  — 

"  How  heavy  it  is  !     Is  the  Arminian  inside?" 

"No,"  replied  Maria,  as  if  enjoying  their  little 
joke;   "only  the  Arminian  books." 

The  chest  passed  through  the  thirteen  locked  and 
barred  doors  and  out  of  the  castle  without  being  over- 
hauled ;  but  there  were  not  a  few  hairbreadth  escapes 
before  it  was  safe.  It  was  taken  across  the  river  in 
a  boat,  and  then  Elsie  persuaded  the  boatmen  to  carry 
it  to  the  house  of  Abraham  Datselaer,  a  flax  mer- 
chant. One  of  them  declared  that  there  was  some- 
thing alive  in  the  chest.  "Oh,"  replied  the  quick- 
witted girl,  "Arminian  books  are  always  full  of  life 
and  spirit."  When  at  last  the  chest  was  in  the  house 
Elsie  was  in  mortal  fear  lest  her  master  had  been 
smothered  by  his  long  confinement,  until  he  was  found 
alive.  He  was  now  furnished  with  the  clothes  of  a 
mason  ;  and  a  master  mason,  John  Lambertzoon,  took 
him  across  the  boundary  of  the  United  Provinces  to 
Walwyk  as  one  of  his  hands.  Thence  Grotius  es- 
caped to  Antwerp,  and  at  the  close  of  the  truce,  then 
at  hand,  he  went  to  Paris,  He  was  treated  with  dis- 
tinguished consideration  by  Louis  XIII,  who  gave 
him  a  pension  of  three  thousand  guilders. 

The  next  year  Grotius  published  his  book,   "  The 


852  THE  DAYS   OF  rRINCE  MAUBICE. 

Justification  of  the  Lawful  Government  of  Holland 
and  West  Friesland."  The  States-General  felt  them- 
selves aggrieved  by  it,  and  went  so  far  as  to  forbid 
the  book  to  be  published  or  read  in  the  Provinces. 
On  that  account  people  read  it  all  the  more. 

The  wife  of  Grotius  was  detained  at  Louvestein 
for  a  fortnight  after  his  escape  ;  but  on  petitioning 
she  was  set  at  liberty  and  praised  on  all  sides  for  her 
wifely  devotion  as  well  as  her  brave  and  well-managed 
scheme.  Hoogerbeets  remained  a  prisoner  for  ten 
years. 

The  truce  ended  in  August,  1621,  having  been  pro- 
longed by  special  arrangement  for  four  months.  The 
archdukes  made  proposals  to  renew  it  for  a  longer 
period,  but  they  involved  concessions  which  the  Neth- 
erlanders  would  not  make.     So  the  war  was  resumed. 

But  the  United  Provinces  were  in  a  less  favorable 
condition  as  to  both  their  foreign  and  their  domestic 
affairs  than  when  the  truce  began.  Their  internal 
dissensions  had  done  much  harm  in  various  wa\"s,  and 
the  synod  had  cost  them  a  million  of  guilders.  There 
was  no  longer  at  the  head  of  state  affairs  such  a  man 
as  Barneveld.  His  successor,  Adrian  Duyk,  could 
not  compare  with  him  in  ability.  Indeed,  the  wisest 
and  best  men  of  the  nation,  if  not  banished,  had  been 
turned  out  of  office ;  and  though  there  had  been 
rapid  growth  in  commerce,  there    seemed  not   to   be 


AFTEB    THE    TEUGE.  353 

money  enough  at  hand  to  prosecute  the  war  with 
activity. 

The  foreign  powers  that  had  heretofore  been  friendly 
were  now  cool  toward  the  Netherland  Provinces,  or 
had  something  else  to  do.  The  terrible  Thirty  Years* 
War  was  going  on  in  Germany.  France  had  been 
displeased  b\'  the  disregard  of  its  intercession  for 
Barneveld  ;  the  f^nglish  king  was  intimate  with  Spain  ; 
the  German  Protestant  princes  dared  not  offer  aid,  in 
view  of  what  had  happened  to  the  Count  Palatine  ; 
nor  was  Denmark  at  present  able  to  do  so. 

During  the  summer  of  1621  the  Archduke  Albert 
died,  but  Isabella  continued  to  govern  the  Spanish 
Netherlands,  and  Spinola  was  her  commander-in-chief. 
In  1622  he  laid  siege  to  Bergen-op-zoom,  intending 
afterwards  to  carry  the  war  into  Zealand.  But  Prince 
Maurice  succeeded  in  relieving  the  city.  This  was 
the  only  gleam  of  good  fortune  that  came  to  him  after 
the  death  of  Barneveld.  From  that  time  his  military 
talents  seemed  to  dwindle,  and  he  found  himself 
regarded  with  distrust  by  men  who  had  been  his  warm 
friends. 

In  this  same  year  one  of  Barneveld's  sons,  William, 
lord  of  Stoutenberg,  formed  a  plot  to  assassinate 
Maurice.  At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  he  had 
been  deprived  of  the  government  of  Bergen-op-Zoom, 
as  well  as  of  his  own  estates  ;  and  he  keenly  felt  his 


354  THE  DAYS   OF  PRINCE  MAUBIGE. 

wrongs-  His  elder  brother,  Reguier,  lord  of  Groen- 
veld,  who  had  likewise  suffered,  was  at  length  pre- 
vailed upon  to  become  a  party  to  the  plot,  along  with 
several  others.  Stoutenberg,  who  was  a  hot-headed 
young  man,  urged  that  if  Maurice,  who  had  grown 
so  despotic,  were  out  of  the  way,  the  stadtholdership 
would  naturally  fall  to  his  brother,  Frederic  Henry, 
and  matters  would  then  go  on  smoothly  once  more. 

These  young  nobles  did  not  intend  themselves  to 
strike  the  blow  ;  but  they  hired  several  sailors,  not 
telling  them  all,  however,  just  what  they  were  to  do. 
It  was  planned  to  take  place  on  the  sixth  of  February, 
1623,  when  they  expected  to  surprise  the  prince  riding 
from  The  Hague  to  Ryswick  almost  alone.  But  the 
evening  before,  the  plot  was  betrayed,  and  most  of 
the  conspirators  were  arrested.  Groenveld,  who  had 
been  reluctantly  drawn  into  the  conspiracy,  suffered 
death ;  and  so  did  fifteen  other  persons,  some  of 
whom  had  no  real  connection  with  it.  But  Stouteu- 
berg  escaped,  and  afterwards  bore  arms  against  his 
countr}',  under  the  standard  of  Isabella. 

People  were  very  sorry  for  Groenveld,  although  they 
could  not  justify  him.  Nor  did  they  think  it  ought  to 
be  considered  high  treason  simply  to  conspire  against 
tlie  life  of  one  who  was  not  a  sovereign.  On  the 
whole,  the  affair  resulted  unhappily  for  the  prince. 
He    became    more  and  more  sensible  tAat  in  putting 


AFTER    THE    TRUCE.  355 

Barneveld  to  death  he  had  cut  off  his  own  right  arm. 
As  time  went  on,  and  ill  fortune  seemed  ever  to  attend 
Lis  undertakings,  he  exclaimed  bitterly  that  God  had 
forsaken  him.  Public  affairs,  missing  the  sagacious 
head  and  able  hand  that  had  so  long  guided  them, 
fell  into  confusion.  The  army  was  so  small  and  ill 
equipped  that  it  was  unprepared  for  the  service 
demanded.  "As  long  as  the  old  rascal  was  alive," 
exclaimed  Maurice  with  bitterness,  "  we  had  counsels 
and  money ;  now  there  is  no  finding  either  the  one  or 
the  other  !  " 

In  1624  the  States-General  did  succeed  in  making 
a  fresh  alliance  with  France  ;  the  prime  minister, 
Richelieu,  felt  that  they  must  be  sustained,  lest  the 
house  of  Austria  should  become  too  strong.  The  king 
promised  to  loan  them  a  million  floi'ius  a  j'ear,  for 
three  years.  And  as  James  had  not  been  able  to 
marry  his  son  to  the  Infanta  of  Spain,  he  consented 
to  help  the  Provinces  once  more,  by  making  a  defen- 
sive alliance  with  them  for  two  years.  But  almost  as 
soon  as  it  was  done  there  came  news  of  a  serious 
difficulty  between  the  Dutch  and  the  English  in  the 
East  Indies  ;  so  that  the  old  ill  feeling  between  them 
was  revived.  Indeed,  James  was  not  a  comfortable 
ally  at  any  time,  and  often  made  himself  disagreeable 
to  his  best  friends. 

Spinola  now  resolved  to  besiege  Breda,  which  had 


356  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

been  held  by  the  United  Provinces  ever  since  the  time 
when  Captain  Heraugi^re  captured  it  by  the  strata- 
gem of  the  turf -boat.  As  it  belonged  to  the  house  of 
Nassau,  Maurice  lost  no  time  in  reinforcing  its  garri- 
son. The  marshes  surrounding  it  delayed  Spinola's 
operations  not  a  little ;  and  Maurice  took  time  to 
capture  three  less  important  places  in  the  vicinity,  ex- 
pecting to  be  on  hand  by  the  time  Spinola  had  really 
beguii  operations.  But  it  proved  that  his  able  antag- 
onist was  more  than  ready,  and  Maurice  was  forced  to 
withdraw,  leaving  Breda  to  its  fate.  This  disappoint- 
ment wore  upon  his  health,  already  impaired  by  a 
disease  of  the  liver,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that 
the  great  general  had  not  long  to  live. 

He  sent  for  his  brother  Frederic  Henry  to  come 
to  him  from  the  camp.  There  had  been  a  coldness 
between  them,  for  Frederic  Henry  was  inclined  to 
favor  the  Remonstrant  party.  As  Maurice  had  never 
married,  his  title  and  estates  would  belong  to  his 
brother ;  he  now  urged  Frederic  Henry  to  marry  the 
Princess  Amelia  of  Solms.  This  marriage  took  place 
only  three  weeks  before  the  death  of  the  prince, 
which  occurred  April  23,  1625.  He  was  only  fifty- 
seven  years  of  age,  though  he  had  been  stadtholder 
for  nearly  forty  years. 

To  Prince  Maurice  had  been  given  a  grand  part  to 
perform  in  the  Netherland  struggle  for  freedom.     It  is 


AFTEB    THE    TRUCE.  357 

hardly  possible  to  value  too  highly  what  he  accom- 
plished for  his  country  as  a  general  and  commander- 
in-chief.  Under  his  training  the  armies  of  the  United 
Provinces  became  the  best  in  Europe.  They  achieved 
success  at  last  in  what  had  appeared  a  hopeless  strife. 
The  prince's  gifts  as  a  statesman,  however,  were  not 
equally  remarkable  ;  it  may  have  been  in  part  because, 
from  the  beginning  of  his  career,  he  could  let  the  able 
Barneveld  manage  for  him  in  civil  affairs.  While  his 
patriotism  was  sincere  and  unwavering,  what  he  had 
to  do  for  his  country  was  not  only  in  the  line  of  his 
predominant  tastes,  but  it  also  brouglit  him  a  large 
income  and  abundant  honors.  Had  the  contrary  been 
the  case,  it  is  not  certain  that  he  would  or  could 
ever  have  said,  like  his  noble  father:  "  I  have  always 
put  my  personal  interests  under  my  feet ;  and  thus  I 
am  resolved  to  do  while  life  remains."  In  the  latter 
part  of  his  career  he  was  thought  too  arbitrary  and 
ambitious ;  yet  perhaps  it  was  only  what  almost 
always  happens  to  those  who  for  a  long  time  possess 
great  power.  But  the  blood  of  Barneveld  has  left 
upon  the  memory  of  Maurice  an  indelible  stain. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 


THE    CONCLUSION. 


A  FTER  Maurice's  death  Frederic  Henry  was  imme- 
-^^^  diately  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  army 
and  navy  of  the  republic,  and  before  long  he  became 
also  stadtholder  of  the  two  principal  provinces,  as  his 
brother  had  been.  Being  no  less  able  and  brave  as  a 
general  than  was  the  late  prince,  while  he  was  superior 
in  statesmanship  and  more  disposed  to  be  tolerant,  his 
administration  was  acceptable  and  successful.  In  a 
few  years  the  theological  dissensions  subsided,  and 
there  was  nowhere  greater  religious  liberty  than  in  the 
United  Netherlands.  It  was  not  until  1648  that  the 
war  was  finally  ended  by  the  treaty  of  Westphalia, 
sometimes  also  called  the  peace  of  Miinster.  But  it 
was  in  Germany  that  the  chief  part  of  the  conflict 
was  raging,  under  the  name  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War, 
which  was  ended  by  the  same  peace.  The  little 
Netherland  republic  was  completely  triumphant.  Spain 
renounced  absolutely  and  finally  all  her  pretensions  to 
dominion  there. 

In  this  great  conflict  ' '  the  creative  power  of  civil 

358 


THE   CONCLUSION.  359 

and  religious  freedom  "  ^  is  strikingly  shown.  Nature 
had  not  lavished  her  gifts  upon  the  Low  Countries ; 
yet  the  people  had  somehow  turned  their  disadvantages 
to  excellent  account.  Even  while  they  were  fighting 
for  their  freedom,  and  because  they  were  fighting  for 
it,  they  were  growing  prosperous  and  strong.  Before 
the  war  was  over  the  republic  had  won  a  place  in  the 
front  rank  of  nations.  In  commerce  as  well  as  in 
manufactures  it  took  the  lead  of  them  all.  It  is  said 
by  Motley  that  nowhere  was  there  so  large  a  produc- 
tion in  proportion  to  numbers.  Everybody  was  at 
work  ;  there  were  no  beggars,  and  not  many  paupers. 
Things  beautiful  as  well  as  things  useful  came  from 
those  deft  and  busy  hands.  There  were  laces,  velvets, 
brocades,  and  tapestries,  as  well  as  linen,  broadcloth, 
and  more  common  fabrics.  Their  fisheries  and  com- 
merce required  three  thousand  ships  and  nearly  one 
hundred  thousand  seamen. 

In  agriculture  they  gave  lessons  to  the  rest  of  the 
world.  Not  only  were  their  cattle  the  finest  in  Europe, 
and  their  butter  and  cheese  demanded  by  other  coun- 
tries, but  they  made  discoveries  and  improvements  in 
the  methods  of  agriculture  which  were  of  immense 
value.  It  was  the  Dutch,  sa^^s  a  great  writer  on  such 
matters,  who  "extended  the  cultivation  of  winter 
roots  from  the  garden  to  the  field,  and  gradually  taught 

»  United  Netherlands,  v.  4  :314. 


B60  THE  DATS  OF  PBINCE  MAURICE. 

European  nations  how  to  preserve  cattle  in  sound  con- 
dition through  the  winter,  and  to  banish  scurvy  and 
leprosy  by  the  constant  supply  of  wholesome  fresh 
diet."  He  adds  that  the  extensive  cultivation  of  the 
turnip  and  potato,  and  similar  roots,  has  made  it 
possible  to  maintain  three  times  as  many  persons  on 
the  same  area  of  land  as  could  be  fed  before  these 
methods  were  known.  It  should  be  remembered,  too, 
that  success  with  such  crops  is  much  less  doubtful 
than  with  the  various  grains.  The  Netherland  farmers 
also  introduced  or  improved  what  are  called  forage 
plants  or  artificial  grasses  —  clover,  red  and  white 
sainfoin,  and  lucerne,  called  alfalfa  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  nearly  a  hundred  years  before  the 
English  generally  adopted  these  improvements,  and 
still  longer  before  other  nations  did  so.  The  Dutch 
had  a  passion  for  flower-gardening,  particularly  for 
the  culture  of  bulbs.  In  1635  and  1636,  tulips  were 
all  the  rage,  and  bulbs  of  the  most  admired  species 
brought  fabulous  prices.  To  the  present  day  this 
seemingly  cool  and  prosaic  people  are  enthusiasts  in 
respect  to  the  culture  of  flowers. 

Learning  of  all  kinds  was  eagerly  cultivated  in  the 
Netherlands.  More  books  were  printed  in  Holland 
than  in  all  the  rest  of  Europe.  Its  universities  were 
famous  the  world  over.  Its  learned  scholars  mastered 
the  languages  of  the  East  and  gave  them  to  the  world. 


THE   CONCLUSION.  361 

They  were  foremost  in  scientific  investigation,  and  in 
the  healing  art  they  possessed  superior  skill.  States- 
men were  there  instructed  in  finance,  merchants  in 
banking  and  credit,  soldiers  in  military  engineering, 
and  philosophers  in  metaphysics.  The  fine  arts  had 
also  many  devotees.  There  were  already  not  a  few 
great  painters,  whose  works  are  the  admiration  of  our 
own  age  ;  and  among  the  middle  classes  at  that  day, 
as  well  as  among  the  nobles,  there  was  a  genuine 
appreciation  of  good  pictures.  There  were  a  great 
many  churches,  town  halls,  and  other  public  buildings 
whose  architecture  was  admirable. 

Motley  has  declared  that  "  it  is  impossible  to  calcu- 
late the  amount  of  benefit  rendered  to  civilization  by 
the  example  of  the  Dutch  republic."  ^  The  unquench- 
able longing  for  freedom  was  communicated  from 
nation  to  nation  and  from  age  to  age.  For  more 
than  sixty  years,  English  soldiers  used  to  cross  over 
to  the  Netherlands  and  fight  side  by  side  with  the 
Netherlanders  in  their  battles  and  sieges,  sharing  their 
aspirations  no  less  than  their  dangers  and  sufferings. 
"  There  was  scarcely  a  man  in  England,"  says  Mark- 
ham,  "  who  had  not  either  served  himself,  or  known 
a  relation  or  neighbor  who  had  been  in  the  wars.  .  .  . 
The  whole  generation  imbibed  and  imparted  to  their 
posterity  a  zeal  for  popular  rights.   .   .   .  The  war  of 

lUnited  Netherlands,  4 :  550, 


362  THE  DAYS   OF  PBINCE  MAUBICE. 

independence  had  a  lasting  influence  on  the  formation 
of  opinion  in  England.  It  thus  led  to  the  civil  war  in 
defense  of  the  liberties  of  the  old  country',  and  to  the 
founding  of  colonies  in  America."  ^ 

"The  Hollanders,"  says  Thorold  Rogers,  "gave 
the  first  precedent  for  civil  and  religious  liberty.  .  .  . 
It  was  before  the  minds  of  those  who  drew  up  the 
Declaration  of  American  Independence."  ^  It  might  be 
added  that  they  likewise  furnished,  almost  unwittingly, 
a  rough  outline  for  a  republican  union.  Imperfect  as  it 
was,  it  has  served  a  good  purpose.  Their  rude  model 
has  proved  instructive  to  not  a  few  other  nations,  who 
have  had  occasion  to  study  the  subject  since.  It  has 
been  improved,  adapted  to  varying  needs,  and  put  to 
severe  tests.  Republics  have  come  to  be  the  prevail- 
ing form  of  government  in  no  small  portion  of  the 
world.  Their  civil  and  religious  liberty  has  a  powerful 
influence  even  where  no  republics  exist.  Well  may 
we  give  thanks  for  the  grand  results  of  that  brave 
fight  for  freedom  in  the  Netherlands ! 

>  From  the  preface  to  The  Fighting  Veres. 
2 Story  of  Holland,  preface. 


INDEX. 


Albert,  Cardinal  Archduke.  Ap- 
pointed governor-general,  172; 
personal  traits,  172;  talies  Cal- 
ais, 173-17.'i;  magnificent  style 
of  living,  100,  214;  promptness 
in  mu.stering  an  army,  221 ;  cap- 
tures forts,  222;  defeats  Count 
Ernest,  228;  in  the  battle  of 
Nieuport,  23.1,  240;  lays  siege  to 
Ostend,  249,  252;  awaits  tlie 
surrender,  264 ;  disappointment, 
266;  denounces  mutineers,  274; 
death,  3.53. 

Amsterdam,  bank  of.  Origin  and 
management,  326;  great  impor- 
tance, 327. 

Anjou,  duke  of,  16. 

Antwerp.  Vast  commerce,  19; 
strategic  importance,  20;  situa- 
tion, 22;  weak  government,  24; 
quarrels,  26;  supplies  for  siege, 
27;  bridge  begun,  29;  river 
closed,  ,34;  attempt  to  break  the 
bridge,  37;  courage  of  citizens, 
42;  attempt  on  tlie  dike,  44;  bit- 
ter disappointment,  .52;  negotia- 
tions, 52;  famine,  53,  55;  suiTen- 
der,  54;  what  might  have  been, 
56;  consequences,  57. 

"Archdukes."  See  Albert  and 
Isabella. 

Armada,  Spanish.  Vessels  and 
equipment,  124 ;  plan  for  invad- 
ing England,  126;  fatal  over- 
siglit,  126;  disasters  off  Cape 
Finisterre,  127;  sails  from  Co- 
runa,  128;  uprising  of  England, 


129;  Macaulay's  poem,  129;  dis- 
aster in  the  channel,  131;  skir- 
mishes, 132;  in  Calais  roads, 
133;  the  panic  and  flight,  134; 
storms  and  wrecks,  136;  Spain 
in  mourning,  136;  England's 
ileliverance,  138;  Spanish  ac- 
count, 138, 7iote. 

Armada,  the  second.  Equipment 
and  plan,  183;  its  fate,  183. 

Arminian  controversy.  Begin- 
ning, 327;  the  "  Remonstrance," 
328;  live  points  of  Arminian- 
isra,  329;  the  "  Contra-remou- 
strance,"  329;  synod  of  Dort, 
331 ;  delegates  all  Contra-remon- 
strants,  331 ;  Arminian  ministers 
summoned,  3.32 ;  canons  adopted, 
3.33;  sentence  of  Remonstrant 
clergy,  333 ;  results  of  the  synod 
of  Dort,  335;  banished  clergy, 
344,349;  expense,  352. 

Arminius,  Jacob,  professor  at 
Leydeu,  327,328. 

Aragon,  admiral  of.    ^ee  Mendoza. 

Barneveld,  John  of,  advocate  of 
Holland.  His  letter  to  Leices- 
ter, 108;  gets  hold  of  letters 
written  by  Leicester,  116,  117; 
ambassador,  198;  his  scheme 
for  invasion  of  Flanders,  218; 
alienation  between  himself  and 
the  prince,  247;  Is  sent  to  ask 
aid  of  James  I,  275;  favors  the 
peace  party,  307 ;  rebukes  brib- 
ery, 310;  In  peace  commission, 
315;  tolerance,  330;  arrest,  336; 


364 


INDEX. 


intercessions  in  his  behalf,  337, 
341;  unfair  trial, 338;  last  hours, 
340;  sentence  and  execution,  342. 

Barendz,  184, 185. 

Beemster  lake,  324. 

Berlaymont,  Count,  289. 

Breda.  Situation  and  history, 
144;  stratagem  for  taking  its 
castle,  145;  delays  and  perils, 
146 ;  citadel  seized,  148 ;  capture 
by  Spinola,  355. 

Brewster,  Elder.    At  Leyden,  323. 

Brussels.    Fall  of,  34. 

Buckhurst,  Lord.  Sent  to  the 
Netherlands,  112;  his  good  influ- 
ence there,  112;  blamed  by  the 
queen  and  Leicester,  113. 

Bucquoy,  Count.  At  siege  of 
Ostend,  2.i2,  253,  280. 

Burleigh,  Lord.  His  counsel,  64; 
is  berated  by  the  queen,  76, 121. 

Buys,  Paul,  102. 

Cadiz.  Sacked  by  Dutch  and 
English,  177. 

Cadzand,  286,  287,  2S8. 

Caron,  Dutch  envoy  to  England, 
197,  215,  217;  brings  news  of 
Nieuport  victory,  245. 

Catherine  de  ]\l<5dicis.  Advised 
by  her  envoy,  23;  pretended 
claim  to  crown  of  Portugal,  62. 

Ceralbo,  marquis  of,  103,  164. 

Dialyn,  Paul,  Polish  envoy. 
Pompous  orations,  191. 

Dort,  synod  of,  331. 

Drake,  Sir  Fi-ancis,  admiral.  His 
exploits  at  Cadiz  and  Lisbon, 
120;  comment  on  the  Armada, 
136. 

Duvenwood,  Admiral,  176. 

East  India  Company,  Dutch. 
When  formed,  271;  capital  and 
management,  271 ;  founds  trad- 
ing settlements,  272;  wins  Am- 
boyna  and  the  Moluccas,  300;  ill 


feeling  toward  the  English  com- 
pany, 301. 

East  India  Company,  English. 
Date  of  charter,  270;  original 
capital,  271. 

Edmunds,  English  envoy.  His 
mysterious  visits  to  the  "  obedi- 
ent "  provinces,  215. 

Elizabeth,  queen  of  England. 
Encourages  the  Netherlauders, 
63;  declines  to  become  their 
queen,  63;  her  speech,  60-68; 
manifesto,  69;  proposes  to  send 
Leicester,  70;  anger  at  Leices- 
ter's disobedience,  76;  letter 
to  Leicester,  103;  ill-humor  to- 
Wcard  the  Netherlauders,  106, 110, 
111;  sends  Lord  Buckhurst,  112; 
private  directions  to  Leicester, 
117;  desires  peace,  121;  sends 
deputies  to  confer  with  Parma, 
123;  her  thanks  for  help  against 
the  Armada,  140;  plot  by  Philip 
II  for  her  assassination,  167;  her 
proposal  regarding  Calais,  174; 
grand  pageant  to  solemnize  the 
alliance  against  Spain,  180;  se- 
cret treaty  with  Henry  IV,  181 ; 
reply  to  Polish  envoy,  191 ;  in- 
vited to  desert  the  States,  216; 
joy  over  the  Nieuport  victory, 
245;  her  death,  274. 

England.  Population,  58;  able 
queen,  59;  small  revenue,  79; 
gallant  uprising  to  repel  the 
Armada,  129;  naval  expedition 
of  English  and  Dutch  against 
Lisbon,  141 ;  second  expedition 
a  great  success,  176-178. 

Ernest,  Archduke.  Made  gov- 
ernor of  the  Netherlands,  166; 
characteristics,  166;  inefficiency, 
167;  death,  170. 

Ernest,  Count,  of  Nassau,  or  Er- 
nest   Casimir.    With   the  army 


INDEX. 


365 


invading  Flanders,  219;  hears 
of  the  archduke's  approach,  222; 
sent  to  tiold  the  bridge  of  Lef- 
flngeu,  225;  desperate  resolve, 
226;  sudden  panic  of  troops  and 
utter  defeat,  227;  at  siege  of 
Sluys,  286. 

Escorial,  203. 

Estates-General,  or  States-Gen- 
eral.   See  Netherlands. 

Farnese,  Alexander,  prince  of 
Parma.    See  Parma. 

Fleming,  Philip,  auditor  of  Os- 
tend,  267,  268,  269. 

France.  Next  in  power  to  Spain, 
58;  efleminacy  of  the  king,  61; 
three  factions,  142;  the  League, 
143;  civil  war  in  France  sup- 
ported by  Phihp  II,  143. 

Frederic  Henry  of  Nassau. 
What  occurred  at  his  christen- 
ing, 19;  commands  "the  new 
beggars,"  215;  with  the  army  in 
Flanders,  219;  in  the  battle  of 
Kieuport,  234;  at  siege  of  Sluys, 
286;  at  MUlheim,  300;  at  Rhein- 
berg,  302;  marriage,  356;  suc- 
ceeds Prince  Maurice,  358. 

Fuentes,  Count.  Succeeds  Arch- 
duke Ernest />r-c>  tern,  170. 

Gertruydenberg.  Betrayed  to 
Spaniards,  140. 

Gianibelli.  Why  he  hated  Spain, 
35;  his  floating  volcanoes,  36; 
the  explosion,  39;  the  needless 
failure,  41 ;  second  "  hell 
burner,"  43. 

Gomarus,  Francis,  professor  at 
Leyden,  327,  329. 

Grave.  Besieged  by  Count  Mans- 
feld,  80;  relief  attempted,  81; 
battle,  81;  city  reinforced,  83; 
treachery  of  the  commander, 
83;  his  execution,  84;  city  taken 
by  Prince  Maurice,  273. 


Groenveld,  Rcgnier,  lord  of.  In- 
volved in  conspiracy  to  kill  the 
prince,  353;  his  death,  354. 

Grotius,  Hugo,  pensionary  of 
Rotterdam,  329;  his  arrest,  337; 
not  amenable  to  the  States- 
General,  339;  sentence.  343; 
works  wi'itten  in  jirison,  349; 
his  wife  contrives  his  escape, 
350;  his  book  interdicted,  351; 
pension  from  Louis  XIII,  351. 

Gwynn,  David,  galley  slave. 
Captures  two  galleys  of  the 
Armada,  128. 

Harlem  lake.    Draining  of,  324. 

Haultain,  Admiral,  297,  304. 

Heemskerk,  Admiral,  272;  attacks 
a  great  Spanish  fleet  before 
Gibraltar,  312;  wonderful  vic- 
tory, 312;  his  funeral,  313. 

Heidelberg  catechism.  Quota- 
tions, 334. 

Hemart,  Baron,  80,  83,  84. 

Henry  III  of  France.  His  recep- 
tion of  the  Dutch  envoys,  61 ; 
his  costume,  61;  duplicity,  63; 
his  assassination,  142. 

Henry  IV  of  France  and  Na- 
varre. Leader  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, 142;  right  to  the  French 
crown,  150;  besieges  Paris,  150; 
Philip's  secret  oflTer  of  his 
daughter's  hand,  168;  war  de- 
clared by  Henry  against  Spain, 
170;  he  besieges  La  Ffere,  173; 
anxiety  to  relieve  Calais,  174; 
insincere  in  the  triple  alliance, 
182;  easily  converted  to  Roman- 
ism, 193, 196;  makes  peace  with 
Spain,  201 ;  is  willing  to  proclaim 
the  decrees  of  Trent,  217;  his 
delight  over  the  Nieuport  vic- 
tory, 246;  real  aim,  276;  prom- 
ises to  help  the  States  in  obtain- 
ing  peace,   313;    private   ends, 


366 


INDEX. 


318;  is  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Louis  XIII,  337. 

Heraugiere,  Captain.  At  tlie 
Kowenstyu  light,  49;  takes 
Breda,  145-148,  Z^T,. 

Holienlo,  Count.  Recovers  Fort 
Lieflienshoek,  36;  at  the  Ant- 
werp banquet,  51 ;  sent  to  Grave, 
81;  lieutenant  of  Prince  Mau- 
rice, 110;  characteristics,  119;  at 
Turnhout,  188;  death,  305. 

Hoogerbeets,  pensionary  of  Ley- 
den.  Arrested,  337 ;  imprisoned 
at  Louvestein,  343,  349,  352. 

Howard,  Lord-admiral.  Fights 
with  the  Armada,  13-2-135;  puts 
on  "a  brag  countenance,"  135; 
in  the  expedition  against  Cadiz, 
176. 

Isabella  Clara  Eugenia,  Infanta 
of  Spain.  Receives  the  Nether- 
lands as  a  gift,  202;  marries 
Archduke  Albert  and  comes  to 
Brussels,  212;  personal  traits, 
214;  expensive  housekeeping, 
214;  addresses  the  army,  222; 
takes  defeat  serenely,  241;  con- 
duct at  Ostend,  252,  264,  295; 
governs  after  Albert's  decease, 
353. 

Jacobzoon,  Jacob.  His  blunder 
with  the  fire  ships,  37;  fails  to 
send  up  the  signal  rocket,  41. 

James  I  of  England.  His  acces- 
sion, 274;  hesitates  to  aid  the 
Nctherlanders,  275 ;  makes  peace 
with  the  archdukes,  29(5;  results, 
297;  hates  Barneveld,  342. 

James,  Captain.  His  remark 
about  the  defeat  at  the  Kowen- 
styn  dike,  50. 

Jeannin,  French  envoy  to  the 
Netherlands.  Aids  in  arrang- 
ing the  truce,  319,  321;  advice 
about  a  council  of    state,  325. 


John,  Count,  of  Nassau,  15;  his 
death,  305. 

Klauszoon,  Vice-admiral.  His  des- 
perate sea  fight,  304;  blows  up 
his  ship,  305. 

"Koppen-Loppen."  See  Jacob- 
zoon. 

Kowenstyn  dike,  43;  first  attack 
upon  it,  44;  grand  assault,  45; 
almost  a  victory,  46. 

Leicester,  Robert  Dudley,  earl  of. 
His  personal  traits,  70;  what 
the  queen  intended  him  to  do  in 
the  Netherlands,  71;  triumphal 
progress,  72;  admiration  of  the 
Low  Countries,  73;  accepts  the 
governor-generalship,  75;  ne- 
glects to  apprise  the  queen,  75; 
sends  Davison,  75;  professes 
great  penitence,  77;  is  straitened 
for  funds,  85;  invests  Zutphen, 
86;  desperate  fight,  90;  letter 
regarding  Sidney,  96;  visits 
England,  100-102;  the  queen's 
gracious  welcome,  103;  diflicul- 
ties  occasioned  by  his  bad  man- 
agement, 103;  his  ger.erosity, 
108;  returns  to  the  Netherlands, 
117;  leaves  finally,  119. 

Lewis  Gunther  of  Nassau.  At 
Nieuport,  231,  234,  237,  238;  letter 
to  Lewis  William,  and  reply, 
243;  generous  sacrifice,  244;  at 
siege  of  Sluys,  286;  dies  there, 
292. 

Lewis  William  of  Nassau,  stadt- 
holder  of  Fricsland.  Improves 
military  tactics,  153;  opposes  the 
plan  to  invade  Flanders,  218;  at 
siege  of  Sluys,  28G;  encounters 
Spinola,  291 ;  at  The  Hague,  315. 

Liefkenshoek,  Fort.  Taken  by 
Spaniards,  28;  recovered  by 
Zealanders,  36. 

Llllo,  Fort,  besieged,  29. 


INDEX. 


367 


Linschoten,  184. 

"  Little  Troy,"  283,  292,  293. 

Louis  XIII,  king  of  France.  In- 
tercedes for  Barnevelil,  337, 341 ; 
kindness  to  Grotius,  351. 

Mansfeld,  Count  Peter  Ernest. 
At  council  of  war,  47;  brief 
word  to  Count  Charles,  49;  be- 
sieges Grave,  80;  battle  with 
English  troops,  81,  83;  in  com- 
mand after  death  of  Parma, 
166. 

Marriiiette,  Lord  of.  At  Nieuport, 
234;  commands  at  Ostend,  283, 
293. 

Maurice,  Prince  of  Nassau  and 
Orange.  His  youth,  13,  52,  144; 
first  militar3'  exploit,  86;  placed 
at  the  head  of  government,  110; 
captain-general,  116;  recovers 
Breda,  148;  improvements  in  the 
army,  153-156;  campaigns  in 
Parma's  absence,  156-160;  plots 
against  his  life,  168;  brilliant 
victory  at  Turnhout,  186-188; 
successful  campaign  on  the  east- 
ern frontier,  195 ;  adroit  gener- 
alship, 212;  disapproves  the 
scheme  of  invading  Flanders, 
but  obeys,  218;  arrives  at  Xieu- 
port  to  begin  a  siege,  220;  heroic 
decision,  232;  words  to  his  army, 
234,  2.39;  thanksgiving  for  vic- 
tory, 241;  modest  account  of  the 
battle,  244;  takes  Rheinberg,  254; 
takes  Grave,  273;  besieges  Sluys, 
286-292;  outposts  captured,  287- 
289;  defeats  relief  convoy,  289; 
town  surrendered,  292;  at  MUl- 
heim,  299;  hindrances,  301,  303; 
not  in  favor  of  peace,  307;  meets 
peace  commissioners  at  Rys- 
wick,  314 ;  opposes  the  truce, 
317 ;  provision  for  the  Nassau 
family  made  by  the  States,  322; 


the  prince  sides  with  Contra- 
remonstrants,  330;  arbitrary 
measures,  331,  338;  reply  to  last 
message  of  Barneveld,  341;  as- 
sassination plotted,353;  unhappy 
days,  354;  fails  to  save  Breda, 
356;  his  death,  356;  his  charac- 
ter, 357. 

Medina  Sidonia,  Duke  of.  Com- 
mands the  Spanish  Armada, 
124;  against  his  will,  138;  burns 
his  vessels  at  Cadiz,  177. 

Mendoza,  Francis  de,  admiral  of 
Aragon.  His  campaign  in  the 
German  duchies,  212;  at  Nieu- 
port, 235,  239,  242;  encamped, 
273. 

Moreo,  Commander,  161, 162. 

Mutinies  of  troops,  154,  167,  273, 
290,  303. 

Nantes,  Edict  of,  201. 

Netherlands,  The  United.  Great 
principles  vindicated  by  their 
contest  with  Spain,  14;  the 
"  obedient "  provinces,  15 ;  union 
of  the  seven  northern  prov- 
inces, 15;  small  extent  of  their 
territory,  16;  its  dense  popula- 
tion, 17;  desire  protection  of 
France  or  England,  58;  offer 
made  to  Henry  III,  60-62;  sov- 
ereignty offered  to  Queen  Eliz- 
abeth, 64;  she  declines,  but 
pledges  aid,  66-69;  they  make 
Leicester  governor-general,  74; 
alienations  and  annoyances, 
100-104;  treasons  at  Deventer 
and  Zutphen,  104;  further  trea- 
sons, 105;  provisional  govern- 
ment set  up,  109;  letters  to  the 
queen,  110;  naval  expeditions 
against  Spain,  120,  141,176,185; 
loss  of  Hulst,  178;  triple  alli- 
ance against  Spain,  181;  dupli- 
city of  the  allies,  181 ;  exploring 


368 


INDEX. 


Arctic  seas,  184;  reply  to  the 
German  emperor's  offer  of  me- 
diation,190;  distrust  toward  Eng- 
land and  France,  196;  the  States 
remonstrate  with  the  queen,  197; 
envoys  sent  to  Henry  IV,  198; 
stormy  interviews  with  Eliza- 
beth, 199,  201;  heavy  taxation 
self-imposed,  213;  invasion  of 
Flanders  planned,  218;  great 
fleet  mustered,  219;  delayed  by 
headwinds,  220;  battle  of  Nieu- 
port  and  its  results,  236-239, 
246;  famous  siege  of  Ostend  sus- 
tained, 248-295;  Sluys  recov- 
ered, 286-292;  envoys  sent  to 
James  I,  275;  peace  party  and 
opponents,  306;  envoys  sent  by 
the  archdukes,  307,  308;  armis- 
tice arranged,  309;  Neyen's 
bribes  rejected,  309 ;  victory  over 
Spanish  fleet  at  Gibraltar,  312; 
defensive  alliance  with  Henry 
IV,  313;  with  England,  313; 
peace  commissioners  received 
at  The  Hague,  314;  ambassadors 
fi-om  other  courts,  315;  difficulty 
about  permitting  the  East  India 
traffic,  316;  duplicity  of  Philip 
111,317;  his  demands,  318;  nego- 
tiations broken  off,  319;  French 
and  English  envoys  propose  a 
long  truce,  319;  great  opposi- 
tion, 319;  feeling  against  Barne- 
veld,  320;  powerful  influence 
of  his  speech  in  the  assembly, 
320;  truce  concluded,  321;  final 
arrangements,  322;  activity  in 
arts  of  peace,  324;  defects  of 
the  constitution,  325;  edict  of 
mutual  toleration  in  theological 
views, 329;  political  strife  arises 
from  the  Arniinian  controversy, 
330;  severe  treatment  of  Ue- 
nionstrants,  343;  close  of  truce. 


352;  fresh  alliance  with  France 
and  with  England,  355;  end  of 
the  war,  358;  the  republic  pros- 
pers, 359;  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial activity,  359;  agricul- 
tural improvements,  359;  the 
tulip  mania,  360;  effect  upon 
English  soldiers  of  serving  in 
the  Xetherlaud  war,  361;  influ- 
ence of  the  Netherlands  upon 
America  and  the  world,  362. 

Neyen,John.  His  diplomatic  mis- 
sion to  the  States,  308;  gifts  to 
Aerssens,  309;  returns  from 
Spain,  310,  318. 

Nieuport.  How  situated,  220;  a 
siege  impending,  221;  approach 
of  the  archduke's  army,  224; 
Count  Ernest's  defeat,  227;  di- 
lemma of  the  besieging  forces, 
231;  the  field  of  battle,  232;  the 
victory  won,  239. 

Norris,  Sir  John.  In  the  ambus- 
cade, 89;  in  command,  103; 
quarrel  with  Leicester,  102; 
brings  a  message  from  the 
queen,  140. 

Oldenbarneveldt.    See  Barneveld. 

Ostend,  123,  242;  beginning  of  the 
siege,  248;  how  situate<l,  and 
why  so  important,  248,  250;  sum 
offered  by  Flanders  in  aid  of 
the  siege,  249;  what  Dunkirk 
privateers  had  been  doing,  249; 
the  defenses  of  the  town,  250; 
the  cannonading,  253,  255;  talk 
of  abandoning  the  detached 
forts,  2.56;  a  parley  asked  and 
hostages  sent,  2.58;  commission- 
ers sent  by  the  archduke,  2.58; 
tricks  to  gain  time,  258-265;  the 
conference,  262;  besiegers  exult 
too  soon,  264;  reinforcements 
arrive,  264;  attack  on  the  Sand- 
hill,  268;     sluice    opened,    269; 


INDEX. 


369 


heavy  loss  of  the  besiegers, 
269;  outworks  lost,  277;  Spinola 
takes  com  maud  of  the  besieg- 
ing army,  279;  successive  com- 
mandants of  the  town,  280-2^3; 
damage  done  by  a  gale,  292; 
capitulation,  293;  the  garrison 
welcomed  by  the  prince,  293; 
■what  was  thought  of  the  siege, 
294;  immense  waste  of  money 
and  human  lives,  294;  ultimate 
result,  295. 

Pacchi,  Don  Pedro.  His  appari- 
tion seen  at  the  head  of  his 
legion,  50. 

Panma, Alexander  Famese,  prince 
of.  His  ancestry  and  eharac- 
teristics,  21 ;  previous  military 
experience,  21 ;  uses  bribery, 
23;  begins  the  siege  of  Ant- 
werp, 29;  bridge  building,  31; 
letters  to  Philip  H,  33;  hia  nar- 
row escape,  39;  repairs  the  shat- 
tered bridge,  41 ;  letter  about 
the  Kowenstyu  fight,  50;  enters 
Antwerp  in  triumph,  54;  gets 
the  citadel  rebuilt,  55;  financial 
straits,  79;  takes  Grave  and 
other  towns,  t<4;  storms  Neusz, 
h5;  quits  Rheinberg  to  relieve 
Zutphen,  88;  besieges  Sluys, 
114;  tieceives  the  queen,  121; 
cannot  assist  the  Armada,  12B; 
ordered  to  invade  France,  144; 
chagrin  at  losing  Breda,  149; 
successes  in  France,  152;  failing 
health,  lUl;  ill  treated  by  Philip 
II,  161-163;  secret  slanders,  162; 
second  campaign  in  France,  164 ; 
sudden  death,  165. 

Philip  II  of  Spain.  His  wire- 
pulling in  France,  33;  what  he 
would  never  concede,  53;  con- 
quers Portugal,  62;  instructions 
to    Parma,    122;    meddling    in 


France,  143,  150;  insincerity, 
162,  163;  plots,  167;  repudiates 
his  debts,  189;  deeds  the  Neth- 
erlands to  his  daughter,  202; 
health  fails,  202;  distressing 
journey  to  the  Escorial,  203; 
prepares  for  death,  205;  plans 
the  funeral  pageant  for  himself, 
206;  last  hours,  208;  a  perplex- 
ing question,  209;  teachings  of 
Machiavelli,  210;  a  hypocrite 
finally  self-deceived,  211. 

Philip  HI  of  Spain,  301,  309,  312, 
317. 

Pilgrim  Fathers.    See  Puritans. 

Puritans,  English.  Settle  in  Ley- 
den,  323;  life  there,  324,  346; 
reasons  for  going  to  New  Eng. 
land,  347;  commemorative  tab- 
let set  up  at  Leyden  in  1891, 
348;  Independency  originated 
there,  348. 

Rheinberg.  Besieged  hy  Parma, 
85,  87;  by  Prince  Maurice,  254, 
255;  capture<l  by  Spinola,  302. 

Richardot,  president  of  privy 
council,  314,  315. 

Robinson,  Pastor.  At  Leyden, 
3-24. 

Sainte-Aldegoude,  Philip  de  Mar- 
nix,  lord  of.  Burgomaster  of 
Antwerp,  25,  40;  premature  re- 
joicing, 46;  capitulates,  .52. 

"  Sausages."  Contrivance  used 
in  besieging  Ostend,  252. 

Sen-ano,  Don  Matteo.  Confer- 
ence with  Verc,  258,  263. 

Sidney,  Sir  Philip.  His  ancestry, 
91;  his  father's  letter,  92;  travels 
on  the  continent,  93;  is  sent  to 
Vienna,  93;  opposes  the  French 
marriage,  94 ;  literary  works,  94 ; 
governor  of  Flushing,  95;  aids 
Prince  Maurice  in  taking  Axel, 
86;    wounded   at    Zutphen,   95; 


370 


INDEX. 


self-denying  act,  95;  what 
Leicester  wrote  of  him,  96;  his 
chaplain's  account  of  his  last 
days,  96-98;  universal  grief  at 
his  death,  98;  Spenser's  poem, 
99. 

Sidney,  Sir  Rohert,  174, 175. 

Sluys.  How  situated,  114,  287;  be- 
sieged by  Parma,  114;  heroism 
of  its  women,  115;  desperate 
daring  of  the  besiegers,  117; 
surrender,  118;  besieged  by 
Prince  Maurice,  286-292;  ex- 
tremity of  famine,  290;  surren- 
ders, 292;  ghastly  procession 
passes  out,  292;  pestilential  at- 
mosphere fatal  to  Count  Lewis 
Gunther,  292;  value  of  Sluys  as 
a  seaport,  284,  293. 

Spinola,  Marquis  Ambrose.  Put 
in  command  of  besieging  army 
at  Ostend,  279;  person  and  char- 
acter, 279;  makes  progress,  281 ; 
tries  in  vain  to  relieve  Sluys, 
291 ;  gives  banquet  to  the  Ostend 
officers,  293;  reforms  abuses  in 
the  Spanish  army,  298;  invades 
the  United  Provinces,  298;  ill- 
ness and  lack  of  funds,  301; 
takes  Rheinberg,  302;  comes  to 
The  Hague  with  the  peace  com- 
missioners, 314;  magnificent 
style  of  living,  314;  takes 
Breda,  356. 

States-General.    See  Netherlands. 

Stoutenberg,  William,  lord  of. 
Plot  to  assassinate  Prince 
Maurice,  353;  escapes,  354. 

Swint,  the,  286. 

Treslong,  Admiral,  27. 


Turnhout,  victory  of,  186. 

Utrecht,  union  of,  15,  339. 

Van  den  Berg,  Count  Frederic, 
159,  252. 

Van  den  Berg,  Count  Herman, 
158. 

Van  den  Hove,  Anna.  Buried 
alive,  194. 

Van  der  Berg,  Adrian,  145. 

Van  der  Waecken,  Admiral.  His 
privateering,  249. 

Varax,  Count,  186, 188. 

Verdugo,  Francis,  88, 159. 

Vere,  Sir  Francis.  At  Sluys,  115; 
vice-admiral,  176;  at  Turnhout, 
187;  in  Flanders,  219;  at  Nieu- 
port,  224,231,  235,237,245;  com- 
mands at  Ostend,  252;  wounded, 
255;  his  stratagem  to  gain  time, 
257-264;  letter  to  the  States,  265; 
personal  appearance,  261 ;  called 
to  field  duty,  269,  272. 

Vere,  Sir  Horace,  267. 

Verreiken,  envoy  of  the  arch- 
dukes, 310. 

Vervins,  treaty  of,  202. 

Walsingham,  Secretary.  Com- 
ments on  the  queen's  ill  humor, 
106,  111. 

Wilkes,  Councilor,  100, 107. 

William  the  Silent,  prince  of 
Orange,  13,  15,  16,  19,  20,  22,  28. 

Williams,  Sir  Roger,  118. 

Zapena,  229. 

Zutphen.  Location  and  history, 
86;  invested  by  Leicester,  86; 
attempt  to  relieve  it,  88;  fight 
near  Warnsfleld  church,  90;  be- 
trayed by  York,  104;  recaptured 
by  stratagem,  157. 


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